Irish Soda Bread

I made this for the first time this St. Patrick's day after a search for a great recipe. I don't know how this compares to other recipes, but it was DELICIOUS so I don't think I'm going to go searching for any others.

It has a thick crispy/chewy crust and a dense moist middle. It was very sweet and good. This would be a perfect bread for a brunch and I will be using for much more than St. Patrick's day.

The recipe came from allrecipes.com submitted by penguin lady.

Irish Soda Bread

1/2 cup white sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour (I believe I substituted whole wheat flour for half)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

3 cups raisins (that is A LOT of raisins. I put in 2 cups and that made it packed with raisins still.)

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (left that out)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 inch round cast iron skillet or a 9 inch round cake or springform pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour (reserving 1 tablespoon), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins, and caraway seeds.

3. In a small bowl, blend eggs, buttermilk and sour cream. Stir the liquid mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened.

4. Knead dough in bowl about 10 t o 20 strokes. Dough will be sticky.

5. Place the dough in the prepared skillet or pan and pat down. Cut a 4x3/4 inch deep slit in the top of the bread. Dust with reserved flour.

6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 65-75 minutes. Let cool and turn bread onto a wire rack.

Here's a phot of our St. Patrick's day spread:

Brown Soda Bread

I made this loaf to go with some homemade chicken soup. The loaf was down to these last two pieces before I found my camera to get a photo.

The recipe came from Cooking Light. It is a dense a hearty bread that was easy to throw together so it is a perfect pairing for a soup.

Brown Soda Bread

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup steel-cut oats

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

1 large egg-beaten

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2 Coat a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray

3. Combine flours through salt.

4. Combine buttermilk with egg and add to the flour mixture.

5. Stir until just combined.

6. Spoon mixture into pan.

7. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until pick comes out clean.

8. Invert on wire rack.

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Again another gem from Taste of Home.

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup dried currants or raisins

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and the caraway seeds. In another bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk, butter and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in currants.

Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I found this in the Taste of Home Holiday magazine. I have not tried it, but plan on using tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day. I wanted to do it since it is a Crock Pot dish, I love Crock Pot dishes.

1 Medium onion, cut into wedges
4 Large red pototoes, quartered
1 Pound baby carrots
3 Cups water
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Bay leaf
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon pepper
1 Corned beef brisket with spice packet (2 1/2 - 3 pounds), cut in half
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Place the onion, potatoes and carrots in the 5 qt slow cooker. Combine the water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables. Top with brisket with brisket and cabbage.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.