Best Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread
(File Photo)

Add unsalted Butter, Buttermilk and Raisins to your grocery list this weekend! It's time to get ready to bake a delicious Irish Soda Bread!  Yes, they can be purchased, but this Irish Soda Bread is filled and I did write filled with moisty Raisins.  Every bite is just so yummy!  This is by far the best Irish Soda Bread that I have ever tasted!  I had used other recipes in the past, but they always were d- r- y.  And, they did not contain enough Raisins.  

Quite a few years ago I "googled" to find what recipe I could come up with.  I did not expect to find much, because I only had 1 Cup of Buttermilk to use.  To my surprise I found a blog with an Irish Soda Bread recipe that required that 1 Cup of Buttermilk.  It was so very easy to prepare.  It had so many Raisins, too!  I was hooked.  I baked it and boy was it delicious!  This recipe is just the best!  I have never searched for another!

Click on this link for the recipe with all of my hints!  The complete story, too!  You will be very happy you did!  I have learned that slices of this Irish Soda Bread freeze very well!  This delicious bread is also a wonderful treat to bake, cool and mail to our sons- for St. Patrick's Day or other special occasions.  You guessed it!  It is a family favorite!  Did I mention that it is easy to prepare??  It is!! 

Irish Soda Bread
cut and packaged to mail
(File Photo)

Yesterday, the Buttermilk was purchased for my St. Patrick's Day Irish Soda Bread baking.  Slices will be on our breakfast table on March 17th!  Heated in the microwave for a few seconds- ah, YUM!!  Bake one this year!

Enjoy!
Yummy!    

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

~Luck of the Irish~

The Little Guy's Bib

Such a FuN week!  The outside grill has been working for 4 straight evenings!  It's time to bake and enjoy the Irish Soda Bread!  The St. Patrick's Day bib is finished for the Little Guy!  It's a real toss up which ranks as Numero No!  That cute bright green bib just may win out!  It's great that Jo-Ann's is now nearby, because the day it opened in February, I purchased the most festive holiday fabric for a bib!  I envisioned my grandson's holiday bib...  The cotton backside and Double Fold Bias tape are Kelly Green.  A small piece of Velcro works well as a fastener.  Previously, I had purchased the Butterick pattern #4533.  After lining it with fusible fleece, the parallel line quilting finished it off.  The fabric was washed before sewing and again after I finished, so it's ready to wear on St. Patrick's Day! 

A definite St. Patrick's Day edible favorite is the Irish Soda Bread my blog friend, Carol had shared about 4 years ago (Charli and Me).  This treat came from the Will O'Glenn Irish Bread & Breakfast in Glenn, MI.  Butter, Buttermilk and filled with Raisins!  Also...no Eggs!  Yum!  It is baked in a pie plate and is absolutely delicious! 

I've adapted the recipe by melting and cooling the Butter before using.  One year I was working too quickly and melted it.  It was an error that came out great!  The dough is less sticky to work with, so I now always melt/cool the Butter in this recipe.    

Ready for the oven!

Now, I bake this bread every year for our March 17 breakfast.  After cooling, I wrap it in GladWrap and then in foil.  After breakfast, any extra slices can be wrapped and stored in the freezer for another scrumptious breakfast!  Yum!  Definitely leave a few slices out for "grazing"!

Deliciously filled with Raisins!

Irish Soda Bread
Oven:  400°F, then lowered to 375°F.
Total Baking Time:  45 Minutes

Ingredients: 

1 and 1/2 Cups Raisins
1 Cup Boiling Water
*   *   *   *
1 stick Butter - I use unsalted.
2 and 1/2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
5 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Buttermilk, can be Low Fat/Fat Free

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spray a 8" or 9" Pyrex Pie Plate with PAM.
3. In a small bowl combine Raisins and boiling Water.  Let sit while preparing dough.
4. Melt Butter.  Cool.
5. In larger bowl, combine Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Sugar.
6. Add melted Butter to dry ingredients, stir in.
7. Add Buttermilk, stir.
8. Add drained Raisins.  Stir.
9. Shape dough into a ball after placing into pie plate.  Dough will be sticky.
10. Bake 15 Minutes at 400°F.
11. Lower oven to 375°F.  Bake 30 Minutes longer.
12. Remove the bread from pie plate and cool on rack.
13. After cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
14. Wait at least 5 hours before cutting into slices and eating.

I cut the bread into slices and place in two sealed Ziploc Bags.  Extra slices do freeze well.

Enjoy!
Yummy!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

             

Irish Soda Bread

Do you have 1 Cup of Buttermilk in your fridge waiting to be used?  One stick of Butter?  A little more than 1 Cup of Raisins?  If the answers are yes, this easy Irish Soda Bread, can be prepared very quickly.  My friend Carol from Charli and Me has shared this recipe many times and it has become a bread that I bake at this time in March.  A slice of this very delicious treat, also called Spotted Dog, is enjoyed at breakfast, especially during the week of St. Patrick's Day.

There is a little history - The original recipe is from the Will O'Glenn Irish Bed and Breakfast in Michigan with Mrs. Biddy Gahan sharing it.  I can envision a woman in Ireland happily baking this tasty treat for her family early on St. Patrick's Day morning.  :)    

One year I was searching for such a bread recipe that contained no eggs and little sugar and found this recipe using "Google".  It has now become a family favorite!  In my family "it's all about the raisins"!  Once in my haste I melted & cooled the Butter and then found it easier to mix into the dry ingredients - hence the change.   

Irish Soda Bread
Oven:  400°F, then lowered to 375°F     
Total baking time:  45 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 Cups Raisins
1 Cup boiling Water
*  *  *
1 stick Butter - I use unsalted.
2 and 1/2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
5 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Buttermilk, can be low fat/fat free

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spray a 8" or 9 " Pyrex Pie Plate with PAM.
3. In a small bowl combine Raisins and boiling Water.  Let sit while preparing dough.
4. Melt Butter.  Cool.
5. In larger bowl, combine Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Sugar.
6. Add melted Butter to dry ingredients, stir in.
7. Add Buttermilk, stir.
8. Add drained Raisins, stir.
9. Shape into a ball after placing dough into pie plate.  Dough will be sticky.
10. Bake 15 Minutes at 400°F.
11. Lower oven to 375°F.  Bake 30 Minutes longer.
12. Remove the bread from pie plate and cool on rack.
13. After cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
14. Wait at least 5 hours before cutting into slices and eating.

I cut the bread into slices and then place in two sealed Ziploc Bags.  A half slice of Irish Soda Bread is a very tasty treat.  Extra slices do freeze well.

Enjoy!
Yummy!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

           

Happy Easter!

The sun is shining brightly through our bay window. Spring and April have arrived and it is Easter weekend!

Yesterday, my oven was working overtime. The Irish Soda Bread is double wrapped and sitting on the kitchen counter for Breakfast tomorrow morning. My mom’s recipe for Polish Cheesecake was used, so our Easter Dinner dessert is in the fridge.

Mustard Coated Roasted Leg of Lamb, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Butternut Squash are on our menu for Easter Dinner. Will you also be celebrating this holiday at home?

Happy Easter to you and your family!

JG

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

It was a few days before St. Patrick’s Day a couple of years ago and I decided to bake an Irish Soda Bread. Buttermilk is one ingredient in that delicious raisin filled bread. Whenever I opened the door to our fridge I saw a partial container of fat free Buttermilk sitting on the top shelf. That container kept reminding me that St. Patrick’s Day was approaching. Yes, I did have recipes for Irish Soda Bread, also called Spotted Dog, but my recipes required either eggs or more than 1 stick of Butter/Margarine. I did not want to use any eggs in the bread, so I was on a Mission. That Mission was to find a new recipe.

Google is a wonderful place to learn new info. With a click here and a click there after entering key words I quickly found a recipe for an eggless Irish Soda Bread that also contained lots of Raisins. My family really likes Raisins. Carol (from Charli and Me) very graciously shared this recipe and she continues to share it again this year as St. Patrick’s Day approached.

Yesterday afternoon the Irish Soda Bread was baked. After it cooled I wrapped it in GladWrap and then in foil. Today, the absolutely scrumptious bread was cut into slices and boy is it good!

I have a gas oven and I’ve learned to bake the bread an additional 15 minutes at 375°F. It is longer than the original recipe states. Yesterday in my great haste, I melted the butter/margarine and cooled it like usual when baking. However, this recipe does not call for cooled melted butter. Well, I used it anyway. Much to my great happiness I had a dough that was much easier to handle and not so sticky. The bread is very moisty. This Irish Soda Bread is chuck full of Raisins. Yummy!

Below is the recipe that my friend Carol continues to share. Click here to visit her at Charli and Me. Thank you Carol! This is a very yummy bread!

Irish Soda Bread - Also called (spotted Dog) - from Carol
This recipe comes from Will O'Glenn Irish Bed and Breakfast
Glenn, Michigan - The recipe was shared by Mrs. Biddy Gahan (her mom) from Cahir, Co. Tipperary, Ireland

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp double acting baking powder
5 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
In small bowl, pour boiling water over raisins, let stand 5 minutes. In large bowl, sift flour, soda, baking powder, and sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture looks like course crumbs. Drain raisins, stir into flour mixture. Add buttermilk all at once. Stir vigorously with a fork.

Shape into ball and flatten ever so slightly. (It should look like a ball) Place on a greased 8 inch pie plate. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees, lower heat to 375 degrees, and bake 10-15 more minutes, or until knife comes out clean.

Remove from pie plate. Cool one hour. Cut into wedges. Makes 10 servings.
The bread will have a scone like consistency......
♥ Now this is the most important part of making any Irish bread recipe. When you get the bread into your pan, just prior to baking, take a knife and gently carve a Cross across the top to bless it. Then poke four holes in the bread to let the faeries out. Your bread will turn out perfect every time.

Enjoy!
Yummy!

The Last Cup of Buttermilk

After preparing Awesome Oatmeal Pancakes is there one cup of buttermilk remaining in the container? How do you use that one remaining cup?

Last weekend I located an easy Irish Soda Bread recipe that requires one cup of buttermilk. Thank you, Charli and Me, for posting the absolutely delicious raisin filled bread recipe.

In my (gas) oven I needed to bake the bread an extra 15 minutes at 375°F. This weekend I baked two more Irish Soda Breads to share with my family. I know how I will always use the remaining cup of buttermilk!

Positively Yummy!