Soda Bread

Well I lied. I will post about donuts and filled Paczki later. Today we have more important things like St. Patrick's Day to talk about. St. Patrick's Day is great because it highlights great Irish traditions, food and culture. My favorite among these is ... whiskey. But this isn't a booze blog, it's a baking blog. So my real favorite among these is ... Soda Bread! Now like most things you will eat and drink on St. Patrick's Day, the Soda Bread that you see here isn't entirely the same as its authentic Irish counterpart. Thus, I titled this post Soda Bread and not IRISH Soda Bread. Just like how Corned Beef and Cabbage isn't an Irish delicacy and green Bud Light is an abomination to distinguished Irish drinking heritage (Guinness, Jamesons, etc.), the Soda Bread that we have here isn't truly authentic. It sure evolved from the Irish original, but isn't quite the same. Like I have mentioned before, most breads were developed through very simple means. Irish Soda Bread was originally a peasants bread consisting of flour (usually whole wheat), baking soda (as the leavening agent), salt, and buttermilk (because it was around as a by product of making butter). The two key ingredients here are the baking soda and buttermilk - those are what keep this Soda Bread somewhat authentic. The additions over the years of sugar, raisins and caraway seeds, although delicious, are not truly authentic to the original. This recipe here was passed on up to me from my sister and turned out to be a tasty, sweet version that is totally acceptable to me and my 0% Irish palette. So I hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 heaping teaspoon of kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup raisins

Recipe:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients (except the raisins) in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix in the buttermilk and raisins gradually until a wet dough forms.
3. On a floured surface work the dough just enough to form it into a round loaf about 2 to 3 inches high and about 8 to 9 inches in diameter. Don't work the dough too much and there is no reason why you should knead this dough. Working and kneading it too much will only result in a tougher final product.
4. Place your loaf on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cut a cross into the top. I would say to cut about 1 inch deep into the top of the dough.
5. Bake at a 450 for 15 minutes and then rotate the loaf and turn down the heat to 400 and bake for another 25 minutes.
6. Let cool for at least an hour. I let mine cool overnight.

Some people are particular about having their Soda Bread with butter and jelly, but this loaf will taste great all by itself. Try it any way you like. It doesn't really matter, it will all taste the same after you've had a few pints and your ears are bleeding from all the bagpipes. Enjoy!