RECIPE: Made our favorite soda bread this morning-so good-REC: Marilyn O'Reilly's Irish Soda Bread...

[charlie]

Marilyn O' Reilly's Irish Soda Bread

Recipe By: Courtesy of Nick Malgieri

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup raisins, or currants

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Directions:

Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt and stir well to mix. Add the butter and rub in until the butter disappears into the dry ingredients.

Stir in the raisins.

In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together and mix into the dough mixture with a rubber spatula.

Turn the dough out on a floured work surface and fold it over on itself several times, shaping it into a round loaf. Transfer the loaf to one cookie sheet or jelly roll pan covered with parchment or foil and cut a cross in the top. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until well colored and a toothpick plunged into the center emerges clean.

Cool the soda bread on a rack and serve with plenty of sweet butter and bitter orange marmalade.

 

[meryl]

This sounds good, but why is the credit given to Nick Malgieri? I checked a few sites, and they

say the recipe is indeed by Marilyn O'Reilly.
Here's a link to the Food Network's listing: (there's a slight variation in the sugar amounts, and there are two baking temperatures.)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marilyn-oreillys-irish-soda-bread-recipe/index.html

 

[meryl]

Another site where the recipe is listed:

http://www.chef2chef.net/recipes/recipe-archive/56/295414.shtml

 

[meryl]

This one is pretty much identical to the one you've posted.

 

[marilynfl]

I can vouch for this one. It's one of my favorites.

 

[meryl]

I've been meaning to try it for so long now, but something always gets in the way. I'm planning to

make it over the next few days, adding 1 Tbsp caraway seeds.

 

[marilynfl]

Be aware this is a cakey version (lots of butter and sugar). Ergo, the reason I like it.

I've never understood those soda bread recipes that are simply flour, buttermilk, soda, a TBL of sugar and no fat. I tried them...I just don't get them.

And I actually like this one better the second day, toasted in a pan so it gets a bit crusty yet warm all the way through. A toaster doesn't cut it.

 

[steve2-in-la]

I make this version as muffins so it's definitely a breakfast item but SOOOO gewd.

This version of "Irish Soda Bread" is a little fussy in the way it incorporates a wide (and probably unnecessary) variety of flours so feel free to simplify as your pantry necessitates but use as many as you can, the taste, texture and flavor profile all benefit from it.

Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Recipe from King Arthur Flour website adjusted by me. Makes 12 Muffins.

1 cup ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
½ cup CAKE FLOUR
¼ cup WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
¼ cup RYE FLOUR
¼ cup INSTANT OATMEAL
2 tsp BAKING POWDER
¼ tsp BAKING SODA
½ tsp KOSHER SALT
1/3 cup GRANULATED SUGAR
1 tsp CARAWAY SEED
1 tsp FENNEL SEED

1 LARGE EGG
1 Tbsp MOLASSES
1 cup BUTTERMILK
6 Tbsp UNSALTED BUTTER – melted

1½ cups CURRANTS/RAISINS (soaked in 1 cup boiling water & drained)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin pan. Place the currants or raisins in a bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Let sit and rehydrate for 10 minutes, then drain well.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, caraway and fennel seeds.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, molasses and butter. Gently combine the dry and wet ingredients; no more than a few stirs. Add in the currants (or raisins) Once everything is evenly moistened, quit; further stirring will cause the muffins to be tough.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups about ¾ full; the stiff batter will look mounded in the cups. Top with coarse sugar.

Bake 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Tip the muffins in the pan, so their bottom don't get soggy. Remove them from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool. Serve plain or with butter and/or jam.

 

[meryl]

Does it come out crusty right from the oven?

 

[charlie]

It has a nice crust right out of the oven. It's possible that Malgieri was

a guest on one of the FN shows---maybe Sara Moulton---and I lumped a recipe she did with his contribution.

Yes, I left out the caraway seeds---just a personal preference.

Actually, I have quite a few versions that are much richer and cakier than this one. Marilyn O's recipe has a nice crumb that is delicate, but not too compact. Dust a little flour on top before baking for a really homey look.

 

[meryl]

Thanks, charlie smileys/smile.gif