Happy St. Patty's Day! In honor of St. Patrick's Day I thought I would repost the delicious bread recipes we enjoyed while in Ireland. Don't forget to wear green today!
Before our vacation I had spoken to several people that had been to Ireland and everyone talked about how beautiful it was and how they wanted to go back one day. So I anticipated a good time and looked forward to seeing the beautiful countryside. Everything I was told was true, but one thing everyone failed to mention was the food. It was awesome! I don't know if it was because it was a nice change from Italian food, but regardless we loved it.
Some tradition Irish foods we enjoyed were stews (beef or lamb), fish and chips, hamburgers, scones, and, my favorite, brown bread and soda bread. The older boys and men enjoyed the traditional Irish breakfast which includes poached eggs, bacon, sausage, and black and white pudding.
I could go on and on about the food, but I really want to share with you my favorite food from our trip. The bread was AMAZING!! The most popular breads in Ireland are soda bread and brown bread. The bread was so flavorful and hearty. In Dingle we stopped at the most charming little market. There was fresh bread, homemade jams, sweets, cakes, brownies, chocolates and many more homemade yummies. They were also selling fresh fruits and veggies, and sausages from the grill. There were even some handmade wool sweaters and accessories. Of course, I was most interested in the food. I was drawn to a bread booth with a beautiful assortment of bread. I asked for some traditional Irish bread. In a perfect Irish accent the merchant suggested the soda bread. I bought a huge loaf and carried it with me in my purse for the next several days munching on it whenever I got hungry :)
Here are some pics from the market.
After returning from our trip I was determined to find recipes for soda bread and brown bread so I searched the internet until I found a couple that seemed authentic. The Irish versions call for few ingredients. Some of the recipes I found online included raisins or sugar. Although these additions may be delicious, they are not traditional. I think these two recipes come really close to the bread we ate in Ireland.
Irish Brown Bread
Source: www.food.com
Prep time: 10 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 6-8
Yield 2 loaves
1
½ cups all-purpose flour
1
¼ cups whole wheat flour
¾
cup quick oats
½
cup wheat germ
2
teaspoons baking soda
1
teaspoons salt
1
¾ cups buttermilk
2
tablespoons honey
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Coat
a large baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix flours, oats,
wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
2. Whisk together
buttermilk and honey. Add to flour mixture;
stir to combine until soft dough forms.
3. Turn dough out onto
floured surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf. Place
loaves 3 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet; bake 10 minutes. (I baked mine
in a bread loaf pan.)
4. Reduce temperature to
400°F. Continue baking 10 minutes longer or until bread sounds hollow when tapped.
Let cool 15 minutes.
Nutritional facts per
117g
Calories 321.7
Fat 2.9g
Sugars 9.5g
Traditional Irish Soda
Bread
Source: www.food.com
Prep time: 15 mins
Total time 1 hour
Serves: 8
Yield: 1 loaf
4
cups
all-purpose flour
1
teaspoon baking soda
1
teaspoon salt
1-1
½ cups buttermilk
1. Heat oven to 425°F.
Brush a baking sheet with melted butter or spray with non-stick spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients in
a deep bowl. Gradually stir in 1 cup buttermilk, beating constantly, until
dough is firm enough to be gathered into a ball. If dough crumbles, add up to ½
cup more buttermilk, 1 tbsp at a time, until it holds together.
3. Place on a lightly
floured board and pat into an 8-inch flattened round loaf.
4. Place loaf on baking
sheet and slash a ½ inch deep “X” into the top of the dough with a small sharp
knife.
5. Bake at 425°F for about
45 minutes, or until the top is golden.
6. Serve hot.
Nutritional facts per 94
g
Calories 239.7
Fat .8
Sugars 1.6g
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