Irish soda bread for all

Yep, St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow.

I’m not a fan of corned beef, but I love Irish soda bread. It’s so easy to make and tastes delicious. I often wonder why I only make it in March, but the reason is probably the same as why I only make fudge at Christmas. I’d eat too much of it otherwise.

I usually make several small loaves to give away, but since I’m not seeing anyone at the moment, my hubby gets a large loaf all to himself. This makes him very happy.

Why not make some fresh bread for your family on St. Patrick’s Day? It takes less than an hour to make, and most of that is baking time. I end up getting flour everywhere, but that’s part of the fun. As breads go, this one couldn’t be easier.

There are dozens of recipes on the internet, but this is the one I use. It’s from Simply Recipes and is a basic Irish soda bread recipe.

Irish Soda Bread

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
3. Using your (clean) fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the currants or raisins.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir.
5. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead!
6. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough).
7. You want to work it just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.
8. Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet).
9. Using a serrated knife, score the top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an “X” shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks.
10. Transfer to oven and bake at 425°F until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes (less if you are making smaller loaves). (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.)
11. Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
    1. Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.
    2. Hint 2: If you use a cast-iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It’s easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Be sure to put a potholder over it.
12. Remove pan or sheet from oven, let the bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly.
13. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.