Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day
If you’re home looking for things to do with your family, why not bake some delicious bread?
Yesterday for St. Patrick’s Day, I made my rendition of Irish soda bread from our March 2020 issue of “Living.” If you follow me on Instagram @MarthaStewart48, I hope you saw my baking video - done right from my Bedford, New York kitchen. If you missed it, click on the highlighted link, and for the full recipe, go to the magazine or our web site at marthastewart.com. I, along with the editors at “Living,” will be sharing lots of great recipes, projects, ideas, and inspirations with you in the coming weeks - look for them on our social platforms and on this blog.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Before baking anything I always prepare all my ingredients. This bread is easy to make and because it requires no rising time, it can also be done pretty quickly. Here are my dry ingredients all measured in bowls along with a large measuring cup of homemade buttermilk.
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- The recipe also calls for raisins and currants. I have mine in a bowl covered with plastic wrap – I let them sit a little while in some water and oil so they could plump up.
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- I start by mixing up the ingredients in the bowl. Irish Soda Bread was first adopted in the late 1830s when the first iteration of baking soda—or bicarbonate soda—was introduced to the United Kingdom. Due to Ireland’s lack of access to ingredients at the time, the inspiration for Irish Soda Bread was one of necessity, in order to make the most of the basic and inexpensive ingredients available: flour, baking soda, salt, and soured milk.
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- This kitchen is in my Winter House here at my farm. It’s a big and roomy space for cooking, baking, having meetings and shooting these fun and informative videos. Liz Malone is with me videotaping the process.
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- This is my homemade buttermilk. When you watch the video, you’ll learn exactly how I made it.
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- I tripled this recipe because I am making loaves for my dear friend and colleague, Kevin Sharkey, and for my crew, so keep that in mind when viewing and making your own bread.
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- This can be done with a mixer, but it is easy enough to do with manual mixing tools. I like to do it by hand to ensure it isn’t mixed too much.
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- Once all the dry ingredients are well mixed, turn the dough out and shape your loaf.
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- While you’re shaping your dough, be sure to preheat the oven. Check the dough again and be sure all the dry flour is mixed in properly.
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- I cut my dough into quarters and then formed them into seven-inch-wide domed round loaves.
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- I do this step-by-step on the video, so be sure to watch it. This is such a great bread to make and a good activity to do at home during these trying times.
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- Don’t forget to form your loaves on a generously floured work surface to prevent sticking.
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- Here are the four loaves – ready to go onto the baking sheets and into the oven.
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- I love these heavy, French baking sheets – they’re so sturdy and great for baking bread. Here they are coated with a nonstick spray.
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- Once all the ingredients are all prepared and the oven is preheated, it takes less than 15-minutes to get the loaves ready to bake. Next, using a serrated knife, I cut an “x” about an inch deep into the top of each loaf. Legend has it that, in some areas of Ireland, a cross was cut on the top of the Irish soda bread with a knife to ward off the devil and protect the household. I also poked a couple dozen holes into the tops with a skewer – all to help the bread cook evenly and thoroughly.
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- After a little more than an hour, the loaves are all done.
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- I had so much fun making these Irish soda bread loaves – and they are so perfect. And on the video, I show you exactly how to tell whether they are ready.
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- Don’t they look fantastic? Here, one can see the crosses and holes cut into the tops. Let them cool just a bit and then serve.
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- Cut slices and serve with some delicious unsalted butter. You and your family will love it. Irish soda bread is delicious now and at any time of year. More fun ideas and projects are on the way – we will get through this time together. Stay safe.
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