St. Patrick’s Day. I may be Irish but I’m ambivalent. Rowdy people, too much beer, an ungodly long parade, and food that has never attracted me.
Irish Soda Bread has always seemed to me to be one of the worst things man and woman have ever created. Incredibly dry, as you chew, the bread simply mushes in your mouth, leaving you with a residual taste that is nearly gag inducing. And the raisins included in most recipes are like little grenades of mismatched flavor. The raisins do contribute some sweetness and moisture but by then it’s too late. It’s just a tease of what might have been.
So, when Suzen need to test this recipe, I was not standing around in the kitchen, eager to sample. Working away on the computer, I did notice a nice bread smell wafting from the kitchen. Then she was before me with a buttered slice. “Get honey,” she said. “I know you.”
This recipe redefines the whole idea of Irish Soda Bread for me. I’ve labeled it “biscuity” in the title for it does have a biscuit quality, yet it’s a true bread. There is real flavor without that overpowering soda tone from the standard recipes. This is a truly excellent bread recipe you’ll be proud to put on your table.
Any day of the year. Including March 17th.
Biscuity Irish Soda Bread
Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour [preferably low-protein]
1 cup [4 ounces] plain cake flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for crust
1 ½ cups buttermilk.
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Prepare a baking sheet by either greasing or lining with parchment paper.
Whisk flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or our fingertips. Do this until the texture resemble coarse crumbs.
Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together.
Turn the dough out onto a flour-coated work surface. Knead until the dough becomes cohesive and bumpy [12 to 14 turns, do not overknead, you do not want it to be smooth]. Pat the dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches in height. Place the dough round onto the prepared baking sheet.
Score the dough by cutting a cross shape on top of the loaf.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the loaf from the oven and brush the surface with the melted butter. The bread cools to room temperature in 30-40 minutes. [Brian note: or you can just wait about 5-10 minutes and have a very hot piece with butter and honey!]
Source: adapted from Baking Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen