Brian Brophys Irish Soda Bread Recipes

THE BEST IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with a large sheet of parchment paper, pressing it into the edges of the pan and leaving an overhang on 2 sides (the extra parchment will help you unmold the loaf later).
• Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes to the flour mixture and toss to combine. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to cut or rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the currants and caraway seeds.
• Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the buttermilk mixture into the center. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir the mixture until it starts to come together in a shaggy mass.
• Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn the dough mixture out onto the floured surface and knead a few times to bring it together. Shape it into a domed disk. Place the dough into the prepared cake pan and cut a cross about 1/2-inch deep into the surface of the dough with a sharp knife. Bake until the top is puffed and lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Remove from the oven and use the parchment overhang to lift the bread from the pan. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with good Irish butter.

TRADITIONAL IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk. Using your hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft but not wet and sticky.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands. Knead the dough lightly for a few seconds, then pat the dough into a round about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place it on a buttered baking sheet and using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross in the center of the dough reaching out all the way to the sides.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees, and continue to bake until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes longer. Serve warm.

CLASSIC IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, whisk together 1 egg and buttermilk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Stir in raisins., Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 6-8 times. Shape into a 6-1/2-in. round loaf; place on a greased baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cross in top of loaf. Whisk remaining egg; brush over top., Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

IRISH SODA BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Combine according to your manufacturer's directions.
• Success Hints: Golden raisins give this bread its light flavor and look.
• Dark raisins may be subsituted but will make a darker, slightly heavier loaf.
• The sugar in the raisins creates a darker crust; use your machine's"light crust setting" if it has one.
• Dried butter milk can generally be found in the baking goods section of your supermarket.
• If you can't find buttermilk, regular dried milk can be substituted.
• If using delayed time bake, place raisins atop dry ingredients away from liquid.
• This recipe can be made using the regular, rapid and delayed time bake cycles.

BRIAN BROPHY'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Toss mixture with hands or wire whisk to make it light and airy.
• Put dry mixture and butter into a food processor and pulse a few times until butter is the size of peas Return to bowl and add raisins and/or caraway seeds if using.
• Beat eggs in a separate bowl, add buttermilk and blend well.
• Pour egg mixture, a little at a time, into dry mixture.
• Blend well with a spoon or spatula.
• Don't overmix.
• Dough should be heavy, but not too wet.
• If too dry, add a little more buttermilk.
• Dust hands with flour and mold dough into a round.
• Place dough into a greased 9" round pan.
• Dust top generously with flour.
• Cut a deep cross into the dough.
• This will prevent the bread from cracking, and it looks traditional.
• Bake at 350°F for one hour, or until well browned and center is not doughy.
• Cool on rack, and serve warm w/butter and jam.

IRISH SODA BREAD WITH CHEDDAR AND CHIVES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper to a large bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps of flour. Add the Cheddar and chives. Stir to evenly combine the ingredients. Set aside.
• Add the buttermilk and egg to a 2-cup measuring cup. Use a fork to scramble the egg into the buttermilk.
• Add the buttermilk mixture to the bowl with the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to mix the ingredients until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly flour your hands and knead the dough until it comes together, about 1 minute. Flip the dough so that it is seam-side down and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Use a serrated knife to cut a 1/2-inch-thick X on the top of the dough.
• Bake until the bread is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Let cool slightly on a wire rack before slicing.

MRS. SHARP'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix together flour, soda, salt, and sugar.
• Add sour milk and stir together with a wooden spoon. The dough should be thick and sticky, but not too wet.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and form with hands into a round loaf. Place the loaf into a cast-iron frying pan or heavy round casserole dish that has been greased with butter. Score the top in the form of a cross with a wet knife (dig in at least an inch).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Bread should cool for an hour before serving (but I like to eat it while it's still warm!).
• Note: If the loaf is made with whole-meal wheat flour, it is known as brown bread; if made with unbleached white flour, it's Irish soda bread. Authentic Irish soda bread is made with sour milk, not buttermilk, or milk soured by adding vinegar or lemon juice. To sour milk, simply leave it out overnight.

(DIFFERENT) IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Let beer stand until flat, about 20-30 minutes.
• Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in raisins.
• Stir in beer, butter, and one egg until a dough forms.
• On a floured surface, knead dough until smooth. Shape into round loaf.
• With kitchen scissors or serrated knife, cut 1/2" deep X into top of bread.
• Lightly beat remaining egg and brush over dough.
• Bake 55 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.
• Remove from pan and cool on rack.
• Eat warm for best taste!

NOREEN KINNEY'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat a heavy baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray or line it with a silicone baking pan liner or aluminum foil.
• In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the fat particles are very fine. Stir in the baking soda, salt, sugar, wheat bran, oat bran, wheat germ, flaxseed, and sunflower seeds.
• Beat the egg lightly with a fork in a 2-cup glass measure. Add enough buttermilk to come to the 2-cup line and stir with the fork to combine well. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough gathers into a thick, wet-looking mass.
• Sprinkle your work surface with whole wheat flour and scrape the dough onto it. Dust the dough with a bit more whole wheat flour. Pat the dough into a circular shape about 7 inches across and 2 inches high and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Don't be concerned about evenness-the loaf should look rustic. Make a cross-shaped indentation on top of the loaf going right to the edges. I use a plastic bench scraper and press it into the dough very gently; don't actually cut the dough. During baking the indentation expands, giving the top of the loaf an attractive pattern.
• Bake the bread for about 40 minutes, until it is well browned and sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf should register 195° to 200°F. Cool the loaf on a wire cooling rack, and serve warm or at room temperature. Cut into quarters and slice each quarter with a sharp serrated knife. Delicious with butter.
• Storing:
• The loaf keeps well at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 2 to 3 days. The entire loaf or quarters of it can also be frozen when completely cool. Wrap in plastic wrap, place in heavy-duty resealable plastic bags, and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Thaw completely before unwrapping. If desired, refresh the bread in a preheated 300°F oven for 10 minutes.

IRISH WHISKEY SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease.
• Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl.
• With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• In a small bowl or 2 cup measure, mix buttermilk, honey & whiskey.
• Add all at once to dry mixture and stir just until no dry spots remain.
• Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute (too much will toughen and too little will inhibit rising).
• Divide dough in half and shape into round loaves.
• Place on cookie sheet. With a floured knife cut a cross 1/2 inch deep in each loaf.
• In small cup, combine whiskey and milk.
• Brush loaves with glaze.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottoms. Remove from pans and let cool on wire racks.
• Cut into wedges or slices and serve warm.

IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C and dust a baking sheet with flour. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then rub in the butter. Pour in the buttermilk and mix it in quickly with a table knife, then bring the dough together very lightly with your fingertips (handle it very, very gently). Now shape it into a flat, round loaf measuring 20cm/8in in diameter.
• Put the loaf on the baking sheet and score a deep cross in the top. (Traditionally, this lets the fairies out, but it also helps the bread to cook through.) Bake for 30-35 minutes until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If it isn't ready after this time, turn it upside down on the baking sheet and bake for a few minutes more.
• Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel (this keeps the crust nice and soft) and leave to cool. To serve, break into quarters, then break or cut each quarter in half to make 8 wedges or slices - or simply slice across. Eat very fresh.

REAL IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
• Butter and flour a pie plate or round cake pan.
• Sprinkle uncooked oats on the bottom of the pan.
• Combine dry ingredients and currants.
• Mix melted butter, eggs and then buttermilk and sour cream.
• Stir in dry ingredients only until incorporated.
• Put dough into a prepared pie pan, in a mound with a rounded top.
• Cut an X in the top of the loaf.
• Bake for 50 minutes.