Irish Soda Bread

Enjoy with some Irish tea and British Isles inspired toppingsrecipes available at cancerperspectives.org

Irish eyes were smiling in the cooking studio on March 15th. Just two days before St. Patrick’s Day and the cooking studio was overflowing with Irish Soda Breads in a challenge to rival Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish football games. Well maybe not that intense, but we did pit Joe’s mother’s recipe against John’s great-grandma’s recipe against Marilyn’s rendition of Ina Garten’s recipe against Greg’s from The Joy of Cooking. In all there were 17 submissions and in the cooking studio they were all winners. Of course there was an official winner because everyone did vote but you’ll have to stay tuned for that!

Trying to find the “authentic” recipe for Irish Soda Bread turned out to be a cultural exploration similar to finding the “authentic” corned beef and cabbage dinner served in Ireland. Turns out what we know in America to be a traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebration isn’t so traditional in Ireland either. According to history.com the Irish have observed the Roman Catholic feast of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, since the 9th or 10th century. But the first parade actually took place on March 17, 1762 in New York City. The parade held today in NYC is the largest civilian parade held in the United States. And you will not find corned beef in Ireland on the feast of St Patrick. They would serve a pink Irish bacon or a roasted chicken. To find corned beef and boiled cabbage, you need to be in America!

So goes the allusion of authentic Irish soda bread. Traditional soda bread in Ireland has 4 ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk. Period. Soda bread didn’t even become possible until the 1840’s when bicarbonate of soda became readily available. When raisins are added, it’s called a Spotted Dog or Railway Cake. And if your bread contains eggs, shortening and sugar it’s a “cake” not bread. The traditional X or cross made in the top of soda bread helps the bread to expand but it also helps to keep the Devil out or let the fairies in depending on what you believe! Some quick tips for a successful soda bread: whisk dry ingredients together so they are well mixed, soak the raisins and then drain before adding, and don’t over knead the dough. While all of our entries were Americanized versions of Irish Soda Bread they were all great.

Of course, the cooking studio’s version also had to meet the healthy test as well. So I picked a recipe from Cooking Light which used non-fat buttermilk and no other fat. I also made a substitute to include some whole wheat flour in place of one of the cups of all purpose flour. The recipe is low in sugar, only a quarter of a cup, relying on a whole cup of raisins to provide the additional sweetness. I made a test version at home and, of course, I left the fat free buttermilk that I purchased in the cooking studio refrigerator. So I ended up substituting the purchased buttermilk with ”homemade” buttermilk. The recipe for the substitution is to place 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and add fresh milk to the 1 cup mark. Let it sit for 10 minutes. However, the substitution was not as thick as the store purchased buttermilk which made for a very sticky, wet dough. I did have to add quite a bit more flour to be able to knead it. In the end, it went into the prepared pan more wet than the version I made in the cooking studio. Both were delicious though. The other obstacle I encountered at home was that my baking powder had expired, so I was concerned that my bread wouldn’t rise. The test for whether or not your baking powder is still active is to place a teaspoon of powder in a warm glass of water. If it fizzes, it is still active. Test baking soda the same way but you have to add a teaspoon of vinegar to the cup of warm water. Good tips to save valuable pantry staples!

The chosen winner in the JTCC Irish Soda Bread contest was John Napoli’s (Physicist in the Radiation Oncology department) submission of Great Grandma Henrehan’s Irish Soda Bread. The staff in Radiation Oncology has had the pleasure of John’s soda bread for years. The recipe has been generously shared and loaves show up spontaneously throughout the year. But, like the lore of the authentic Irish soda bread recipe passed on for generations, Great Grandma Henrehan’s recipe does not belong to John. The recipe was given to John’s wife years ago when she worked at Duke. It found a happy home here in New Jersey and has been included for all to enjoy. Thanks to all who baked from JTCC and from the hospital at large. As the saying goes, we’re all Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!

GREAT GRANDMA HENREHAN'S IRISH SODA BREAD Preheat oven to 350o

Grease a skillet with either butter or margarine. I usually use my cast iron skillet (10”?) but have also used a big stainless steel skillet with a stainless handle (sometimes called a chicken fryer) [as long as nothing on the pan can melt]. 1 c raisins (I place the raisins in a bowl and sprinkle about a teaspoon or so of water and toss them, put a plate on top and microwave for 1 minute to plump them. Let them sit while you do everything else. Drain just before adding to the mix.) 1 stick melted unsalted butter 4 c all purpose flour1 c sugar1 tsp baking soda2 tsp baking powder1 tsp salt2 tsp caraway seeds (recipe calls for 1, I use 2)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl Add:2 eggs lightly beaten1 ½ c buttermilk (I put the 1 ½ c buttermilk in a 2c glass measuring cup, add the eggs to it, and beat the eggs in the measuring cup then I add the melted butter and mix again)Raisins Mix with a spatula and dust the dough and the sides of the bowl, then knead for a few minutes. I usually end up adding about ¼ cup more of flour at this point since it's sticky; dust your hands too. Loosen it from the bowl with a rubber spatula, flip the bowl so the dough drops into your hand, and drop into the greased skillet. Cut a slash or 2 across the top. Bake 1 hour; check with a knife to make sure it's cooked through and remove to a cooling rack (do not leave in the cast iron skillet). Since it’s so hot I drop it into my other hand in which I am holding a kitchen towel, then flip it onto the cooling rack. It should not need more than an hour.

Helen Doyle's Irish Soda Bread

Yield: 12 servingsRecipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients3 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 cups white flour and 1 whole wheat)1 cup raisins 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon caraway seeds 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups nonfat buttermilk Vegetable cooking spray

Nutritional InformationAmount per serving: Calories: 171; Fat: 0.6g; Protein: 4.6g; Carbohydrate: 37.6g; Fiber: 1.5g

PreparationCombine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add buttermilk in batches and stir until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 3 to 4 times. Pat dough into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and bread is golden. Let cool in pan 5 minutes; loosen edges of bread with a knife. Remove from pan; let cool on a wire rack. Cut into wedges.

Strawberry Rhubarb Compotefrom www.the-baker-chick.com

Ingredients2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced (can use frozen)2 cups fresh rhubarb- diced into small pieces (can use frozen)1 tablespoon lemon juice1/3 cup sugar2 tablespoons corn starchInstructionsCombine rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice in 2-quart saucepan.Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender (8 to 12 minutes). (Test a piece of rhubarb to make sure it's soft.)Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Stir into fruit mixture. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil (about 1 minute). Continue boiling until thickened (1 minute).Once the mixture has cooled, place it in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the big pieces are broken down, but don't totally pureé it.Use immediately or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.