Irish Soda Bread
Since both of my parents have red-hair, St. Patrick’s Day was a big deal in my house growing up. My dad would wear thick green suspenders over his Air Force blues. If I was going to Catholic School, my mom would allow me to break the uniform code and wear a totally green outfit. (The general tone in our house was that not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day should be the eighth deadly sin.) Mom would pack my sack lunch with a sandwich, green Kool-Aid and a shamrock sugar cookie (Yes, I know it was far from an authentic “Irish” lunch, but hey, it was the 70’s.)
Dinner would be corned beef and cabbage, another American take on Irish cuisine. But the great thing was that Dad would pull out The Dubliner’s and Clancy Brothers’ LP’s. Most people who think of Irish music recall “Danny Boy”, the slow mournful ballad. Not us. We would sing “Tim Finnegan’s Wake” “The Moonshiners” “Wild Rover” “Reilly’s Daughter” and my personal favorite “Are you ready for a war?”
The odd turn of fate? When I went to Dublin a couple of years ago, I was very surprised to be singing along to the traditional music at the pubs. My St. Patrick’s Day “training” came in handy while I was actually there.
I really don’t listen to the Clancy Brothers much anymore, though I do have the Chieftains in my collection. My son, however, seems to be carrying on the Irish tradition with his love for Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys – though much more punk than anything we listened to, each generation modifying a tradition.
With that in mind, I’ve abandoned the corned beef and cabbage, since I would be the only one in our house to eat it and it’s something I just don’t miss. (One of my students this semester is from Ireland, and he told me he never heard of corned beef and cabbage until he got to the States – and he’s not fond of it at all.) However every year, I have to make Irish Soda Bread. This recipe came from the CYO (Catholic Youth Association) group in Massachusetts. The big fund-raiser of the year was their St. Patrick’s Day Dinner. We would start at 7 in the morning peeling 100 pounds of potatoes, to serve dinner for close to 200 people. It was a ton of work, but fun project to work on.
Irish Soda Bread is very much like one big scone – and must be served warm. If you wait to eat it when it is cold, it is quite hard. Make a pot of tea when the bread just comes out of the oven, and when it’s done brewing you can enjoy the bread with lots of butter and maybe even some jam.
Irish Soda Bread
Preheat oven to 375°. Cut 3 Tablespoons of butter into 2 ½ cups flour, 2 Tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt, until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup raisins (or currants) and ¾ cup of buttermilk to make a soft dough. Turn on to lightly floured surface; knead for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Shape into round loaf, and place on grease cookie sheet (or warmed baking stone). Cut an “X” into the top of the loaf with a floured knife. Bake at 375° for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.
Dinner would be corned beef and cabbage, another American take on Irish cuisine. But the great thing was that Dad would pull out The Dubliner’s and Clancy Brothers’ LP’s. Most people who think of Irish music recall “Danny Boy”, the slow mournful ballad. Not us. We would sing “Tim Finnegan’s Wake” “The Moonshiners” “Wild Rover” “Reilly’s Daughter” and my personal favorite “Are you ready for a war?”
The odd turn of fate? When I went to Dublin a couple of years ago, I was very surprised to be singing along to the traditional music at the pubs. My St. Patrick’s Day “training” came in handy while I was actually there.
I really don’t listen to the Clancy Brothers much anymore, though I do have the Chieftains in my collection. My son, however, seems to be carrying on the Irish tradition with his love for Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys – though much more punk than anything we listened to, each generation modifying a tradition.
With that in mind, I’ve abandoned the corned beef and cabbage, since I would be the only one in our house to eat it and it’s something I just don’t miss. (One of my students this semester is from Ireland, and he told me he never heard of corned beef and cabbage until he got to the States – and he’s not fond of it at all.) However every year, I have to make Irish Soda Bread. This recipe came from the CYO (Catholic Youth Association) group in Massachusetts. The big fund-raiser of the year was their St. Patrick’s Day Dinner. We would start at 7 in the morning peeling 100 pounds of potatoes, to serve dinner for close to 200 people. It was a ton of work, but fun project to work on.
Irish Soda Bread is very much like one big scone – and must be served warm. If you wait to eat it when it is cold, it is quite hard. Make a pot of tea when the bread just comes out of the oven, and when it’s done brewing you can enjoy the bread with lots of butter and maybe even some jam.
Irish Soda Bread
Preheat oven to 375°. Cut 3 Tablespoons of butter into 2 ½ cups flour, 2 Tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt, until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup raisins (or currants) and ¾ cup of buttermilk to make a soft dough. Turn on to lightly floured surface; knead for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Shape into round loaf, and place on grease cookie sheet (or warmed baking stone). Cut an “X” into the top of the loaf with a floured knife. Bake at 375° for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.
posted by Christine | 10:08 PM
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