The main difference between soda bread and many other types of bread is that soda bread relies on the reaction between baking soda and buttermilk for leavening instead of yeast. Soda bread is heavier and than yeast breads and is wonderful in heartier meals like stews and meat dishes. It is fabulous toasted and slathered with butter!

History of Irish Soda Bread

Soda Bread was not actually invented by the Irish as many people assume. American Indians would use soda ash (a natural soda in wood ashes) as a leavening agent in their bread baking. So “soda bead was popular in the colonies before the idea was exported to Ireland.

Baking soda wasn’t introduced to Ireland until around 1845. Before this, Irish housewives would use yeast with poor results. Yeast does not mix well with the type of “soft wheat” grown in Ireland’s wet climate since it is low in protein and therefore low in gluten strength. Without this high gluten strength, the bread made from “soft flour” (which is made from the “soft wheat”) will not rise like a bread made from “hard flour” and yeast.

Not only was Ireland’s climate working against the Irish, yeast was also expensive! Many families were just too poor to afford it. When baking soda was introduced to Ireland, it offered a relatively inexpensive and effective substitution.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread has only 4 ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. I have made it in the traditional manner, and I find it to be bland. The following recipe, while not traditional, is very tasty. If you want a more traditional taste you should leave out the sugar and raisins.

A Quick and Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Here is a recipe for Soda Bread that got rave reviews at my last St. Patrick’s Day Party. We had it with corned beef, but it is great with a hearty stew or pot roast too. I love it in the morning slightly toasted with butter, yum!

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

*If you do not have buttermilk on hand, just add 1 1/2 tbsps of lemon juice or white vinegar to your milk and let it sit for 5 minutes

Baking Your Irish Soda Bread

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix it well. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredient with a fork or your fingertips. Do this until the texture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together. If you are adding raisins stir them in now.

Turn the dough out onto a flour-coated work surface. Knead until the dough just about comes together, about 10 turns. Do not overknead the dough, you do not want it to be smooth! Pat the dough into a roundish shape about 2-3 inches thick.

Place on a greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. I use Pam baking spray. Score the dough by cutting a cross shape on the top of the loaf.

Bake until loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the loaf from the oven and cool on a wire rack to room temperature, 30-40 minutes.

Yummy! A popular variation on this bread is “Spotted Dog”, aka Soda Bread with raisins.

Enjoy!

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July 9th was National Sugar Cookie Day, and it inspired me to dig out my favorite recipe for sugar cookies. I was a little late in celebrating (I think I baked these July 11th) but my husband enjoyed them all the same.

Sugar cookies remind me of the holidays, and though I find it strange that I am thinking of Christmas cookies in July, I am sure that these will be my main attraction this season.

They are fluffy, sugary and uncomplicated, everything a good sugar cookie should be. This recipe takes about 10 minutes to whip together, and another 22 minutes to bake (11 minutes per sheet). From start to finish you looking at a total of 40 minutes, and you will receive about 2 dozen fantastic cookies for your effort. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 14 tablespoons of butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Supplies:

• 2 mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Measuring cups/spoons
• Cookie sheet
• Wax paper/Non stick baking spray/Crisco
• Electric mixer
• Pie dish or other shallow dish

Making and Baking the Sugar Cookies:

1. First preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Set aside 1 cup of sugar in the shallow dish.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in one mixing bowl.
4. In the other mixing bowl, beat the remaining sugar and the butter together for 5 minutes (this is important!).
5. Beat the vanilla and the eggs into the sugar and butter until combined.
6. Slowly mix in the flour.
7. Roll the dough into golf sized balls, and roll through the sugar, coating the dough completely.
8. Place the balls on a cookie sheet that has been either greased or lined with wax paper, at least 2 inches apart.
9. Press the palm of your hand onto the cookies to flatten them a little.
10. Bake them for about 11 minutes, one sheet at a time.
11. When the edges start to brown they are done.
12. Let them sit for a few minutes on a cooling rack before serving.

Additional tips:

• For really fantastic cookies, roll the dough in coarse sugar instead of granulated.
• Every oven is different, so watch your cookies carefully.
• These will stay soft for about 7 days if stored in a plastic zipper bag. We usually eat them much more quickly though
• Rolling the sugar cookies in colored sugar is a great way to add a little pizazz.