Ina Garten’s Irish Soda Bread Modified

This Irish Soda Bread is sweet and savoury – perfect as a crisp toast for breakfast or a snack with tea or coffee.

Read on to find out how I baked my first ever Irish Soda Bread. 

I live in Boston now, the port where Irish immigrants landed in large numbers, of course they also landed elsewhere in America. But Boston has a long history of embracing the Irish during the historic famine of 1845-1849 and as immigrants to the USA. Befittingly and in honour of its Irish heritage Boston hosts a St. Patrick’s Day Parade every March 17th. And predictably so, green clover leaves and Irish foods start appearing in grocery stores.
Every festival is about food, isn’t it?
That is how I got to taste some Irish Soda Bread recently and loved it!Which meant that I had to bake it home. That’s what I did just recently to be ready for a relaxed saturday morning on St. Patty’s Day. We might get some drinks in later in the day, but to start with I will enjoy my morning cup of tea with a slice of Irish Soda Bread.
To bake my loaf I adapted a recipe from Ina Garten.

Total prep time- 1 hour

Active: 10-15 minutes, Baking: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups All Purpose Flour (Ina’s recipe uses only all-purpose flour – I mixed it up),
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour,
4 tbsp Sugar,
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder,
1 1/2 tsp Salt (Ina’s recipe called for Kosher salt, I used Sea Salt),
4 tbsp Olive Oil (Ina’s recipe calls for butter),
1 3/4 cups Buttermilk (if not available fresh, make from powdered mix),
1 Egg,
1 tsp Orange Zest (I used a mandarin),
1 cup Black Raisins. (Ina’s recipe calls for Currants)
For baking you’ll need a baking sheet and parchment paper or use a spray oil and additional flour .

Method

Preheat oven to 375 F while you proceed to make the dough.To begin measure all the dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking soda and sugar in one bowl. Mix well. If using a food processor use the paddle attachment or just mix well. Add oil to this and mix again. I prefer using olive oil for cooking and baking but Ina recommends butter. Choose which ever you like. I can assure you that the end result with olive oil was still a great loaf of bread. 🙂
Next, measure buttermilk. I used a sachet of cultured buttermilk powder. It’s easy to find and use. Beat in one egg and orange zest with the buttermilk. I had a mandarin at hand and used it for zest. Ina does not specify which kind of orange to use. I have half a mind to use a lemon next time!
Now comes the tricky part – combining the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until you get a wet and sticky dough. Add a tablespoon of flour to a cup of raisins and then combine with the dough.
Finally, transfer to a well floured surface and gently knead it until you are able to shape it into a round, boule like shape. Cut a shallow X on the top.

And that’s it, it’s ready to bake. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. And if like me you are missing parchment paper, oil the baking sheet (I used my cast iron baking plate) and then spread a thin layer of flour. This trick will always come handy while baking.

Transfer the boule to the prepared sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes. 

You will see the loaf rise as it bakes. Just as one would test a cake use a clean knife or skewer and check for doneness by poking until the base close to the center.

Let the loaf cool down and then slice it and enjoy the perfect balance of sweet and savoury. I can’t wait to enjoy a slice with my cuppa tomorrow morning 🙂

Irish Soda Bread

2018-06-23 15:27:47

Yields 1

This Irish Soda Bread is sweet and savoury – perfect as a crisp toast for breakfast or a snack with tea or coffee.

Prep Time

14 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Prep Time

14 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Ingredients

1. 3 cups All Purpose Flour (Ina’s recipe uses only all-purpose flour – I mixed it up),
2. 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour,
3. 4 tbsp Sugar,
4. 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder,
5. 1 1/2 tsp Salt (Ina’s recipe called for Kosher salt, I used Sea Salt),
6. 4 tbsp Olive Oil (Ina’s recipe calls for butter),
7. 1 3/4 cups Buttermilk (if not available fresh, make from powdered mix),
8. 1 Egg,
9. 1 tsp Orange Zest (I used a mandarin),
10. 1 cup Black Raisins. (Ina’s recipe calls for Currants)
11. For baking you’ll need a baking sheet and parchment paper or use a spray oil and additional flour .

Add ingredients to shopping list

If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Measure all the dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking soda and sugar in one bowl and mix well. Add oil to this and mix again.
3. Next, measure buttermilk in a separate bowl.
4. Beat in one egg and orange zest with the buttermilk.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix until you get a wet and sticky dough.
6. Add a tablespoon of flour to a cup of raisins and then combine with the dough.
7. Transfer dough to a well floured surface and knead gently until you are able to shape it into a boule.
8. Cut a shallow X on the top.
9. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
10. Tranfer loaf to the baking sheet and place on the centre rack in the oven.
11. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
12. You will see the loaf rise as it bakes.
13. Test with a cake tester for doneness.
14. Let it cool down before slicing.

Notes

1. I prefer using olive oil for cooking and baking but Ina recommends butter. Choose which ever you like. I can assure you that the end result with olive oil was still a great loaf of bread. 🙂
2. I had a mandarin at hand and used it for zest. Ina does not specify which kind of orange to use.
3. If like me you are missing parchment paper, oil the baking sheet (I used my cast iron baking plate) and then spread a thin layer of flour. This trick will always come handy while baking.

Print

By Kanika Samra

Adapted from Ina Garten

Adapted from Ina Garten

Kitchenpostcards https://kitchenpostcards.com/

Please follow and like us: