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Community Corner

Irish Soda Bread: Hail to the Power of Baking Soda!

With the Luck O' the Irish, you'll be able to make a perfect loaf of this delicious traditional, rustic bread in record time.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays that’s overlooked in my household (other than wearing a bit of green). Red paper hearts and doilies from Valentine's Day have long since been tucked away and the Easter baskets are about to come out, so I’m enjoying a breather at the moment.

However, I thought it was time we started a St. Paddy’s Day tradition and corned beef and cabbage was out of the question because we’re vegetarian. Downing a pint of Guiness or having an Irish Coffee complete with Irish whiskey, sugar and heavy cream isn’t exactly a tradition I can share with the kids, so I thought I’d make some Irish Soda Bread instead.

Making Irish Soda Bread on St. Patrick’s Day is a tradition for many, but there’s no reason you can’t make it over the weekend, or anytime. I just made a loaf for the first time today and found it to be very easy.

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The smell of fresh bread baking is so incredible, my kids came out of their rooms, one-by-one, asking, “What is that delicious smell? I want some now!” I’ve never had the time or patience to make yeast-rising breads from scratch, but this is a quick bread.

Soda breads became popular in Ireland and England during the late 1800s, once baking soda (“bread soda”) became available. The bread was cooked in a big cast-iron pot with a lid (“bastible”) and hung over the coals or fire. Soda bread was a quick and inexpensive alternative to yeast-rising breads. The chemical reaction between the baking soda and the buttermilk causes the bread to rise. Basic traditional ingredients are flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Optional items include raisins, nuts, caraway and orange zest.

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The following recipe offers a heartier version of soda bread with wheat bran, flax seeds and oatmeal. Soda bread is delicious toasted with butter and jam.

This is one Irish tradition I plan on keeping. I didn’t know making delicious homemade bread could be so easy. Hail to the power of baking soda!

Irish Soda Bread

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 ¾ cups of whole wheat flour
3 Tbsps toasted wheat bran
3 Tbsps flax seeds or wheat germ
2 Tbsps of oatmeal
2 Tbsps brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ stick of butter, cold and cut into pieces
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan (or shape into a mound and place on a cookie sheet for a more rustic loaf).

Combine the first eight ingredients in a large bowl; mix well. Add butter, mix dough with hands until mixture resembles fine meal. Stir in enough buttermilk to form a soft dough. Be careful not to knead the dough too much, as it will become tough.

Transfer dough to prepared loaf pan or cookie sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes, until bread is dark brown and tester inserted (toothpick) into center comes out clean. Turn bread out onto rack, turning right side up for cooling.

Recipe courtesty of Clemence Gossett of Gourmandise Desserts.

If you don’t have time to bake a loaf, pick one up at Whole Foods (National/Barrington) or VONS (4030 Centinela Ave). The ingredients for the recipe can be purchased at either store as well, but Whole Foods has a larger selection of the healthier food items including toasted wheat bran and flax seed. Honestly, it only takes a few minutes to mix the ingredients together and pop it into the oven. Soon the aroma will entice you and you’ll be glad you made the effort, especially once you try it.

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