{"id":3588,"date":"2012-03-21T11:12:33","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T16:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/?p=3588"},"modified":"2020-12-06T22:05:28","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T04:05:28","slug":"the-last-irish-soda-bread-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2012\/03\/the-last-irish-soda-bread-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last Irish Soda Bread Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_3600\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3600\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1680.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3600\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2012\/03\/the-last-irish-soda-bread-recipe\/img_1680\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1680.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"640,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Irish Soda Bread\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Irish Soda Bread, photo by Ben Pollock&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Irish Soda Bread. The oven rise partially closed the knife cuts. Rustic looks awesome.  Ben Pollock photo&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1680.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3600  \" title=\"Irish Soda Bread\" src=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1680.jpg\" alt=\"Irish Soda Bread\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1680.jpg 640w, https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1680-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3600\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Irish Soda Bread. The oven rise partially closed the knife cuts. Rustic looks awesome. <small>Ben Pollock photo<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In Food Section World, this long-evolved Irish Soda Bread recipe would be published before St. Patrick&#8217;s Day. But in <strong>Brick<\/strong> World, I bake a loaf on St. Paddy&#8217;s, relying on collected recipes. <strong>Brick<\/strong> could schedule the recipe for March 16, 2013, but why wait?<\/p>\n<p>Every newspaper every year notes that the original of this quick bread (referring to baking soda and\/or powder, not yeast) was unsweetened, essentially a round-loaf whole-wheat version of <a title=\"Hardtack Is Easy to Make, Hard to Eat\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/articles\/A46037-2004Dec8.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hardtack<\/a>. These articles then decry the Americanized eggy sugary raisiny white-flour version. The authors all conclude with their semiauthentic, palateable compromises.<\/p>\n<p>The following is my amalgamation of some of the compromises. [March 2013 update: Below I&#8217;ve made the sugar 1-2 Tablespoons instead of just 1. The smaller is more savory, but 2 Tablespoons brings out the flavors; the amount still is far less than the sweetener called for in many recipes. Vegan option is included; this is low fat!]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1\/2 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)<\/li>\n<li>1 Tablespoon caraway seeds<\/li>\n<li>1 1\/2 cups plant or dairy milk<\/li>\n<li>2 teaspoons lemon juice<\/li>\n<li>3 cups whole wheat flour (12 <a title=\"A handy chart for those who heed the good advice of measuring by weight\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kingarthurflour.com\/recipe\/master-weight-chart.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">oz<\/a>.)<\/li>\n<li>1 cup white flour (4.25 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kingarthurflour.com\/learn\/ingredient-weight-chart.html\">oz<\/a>.)<\/li>\n<li>1-2 Tablespoons sugar<\/li>\n<li>2 teaspoons salt<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon baking soda<\/li>\n<li>3\/4 teaspoon baking powder<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 cup plant or dairy milk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Heat oven to 375 degrees. Plump raisins (or any dried fruit if large then diced) and caraway by soaking together a few minutes in 1\/8 cup liquid (optional 1 Tablespoon whiskey and 1 Tablespoon water). Combine 1 1\/2 cups milk with lemon juice, let sit a few minutes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3599\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3599\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1675.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3599\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2012\/03\/the-last-irish-soda-bread-recipe\/img_1675\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1675.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"640,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Shaped dough, Irish Soda Bread\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Shaped dough, Irish Soda Bread. Photo by Ben Pollock&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Shaped dough. It&amp;#8217;s on the wet side this time so the knife cuts were shallow, but will allow the loaf to expand fully. Ben Pollock photo&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1675.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3599  \" title=\"Shaped dough, Irish Soda Bread\" src=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1675-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Shaped dough, Irish Soda Bread\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1675-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_1675.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3599\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shaped dough. It&#8217;s on the wet side this time so the knife cuts were shallow, but will allow the loaf to expand fully. <small>Ben Pollock photo<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In a large mixing bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients. Stir in the raisins and seeds.<\/p>\n<p>Stir in the soured milk, mixing well for about 2 minutes with sturdy spoon or a hand. Add, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and stir in, the remaining milk &#8212; until all the flour is moistened and sticky. You may not need all that half cup milk, depending on kitchen humidity.<\/p>\n<p>Grease a cookie sheet or pizza pan OR cut a section of parchment paper to fit. Lightly dust with whole wheat or white flour. Form the dough into a tight ball, place on the pan parchment sheet and flatten the loaf slightly, to about 3 inches thick. With a knife, cut a cross or other basic pattern like a triangle, about 1\/2 inch deep. <em>Option<\/em>: Halve dough ball into two loaves and prepare as above.<\/p>\n<p>Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the outside is medium-to-dark brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Serve immediately. The loaf, wrapped, will keep a few days. Toasts nicely. Can serve simply (my choice) with butter or vegan margarine, or also with jam or the traditional slices of cheddar and apples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Food Section World, this long-evolved Irish Soda Bread recipe would be published before St. Patrick&#8217;s Day. But in Brick World, I bake a loaf on St. Paddy&#8217;s, relying on collected recipes. Brick could schedule the recipe for March 16, 2013, but why wait? Every newspaper every year notes that the original of this quick [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bake"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":996,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2009\/03\/irish-style-soda-bread\/","url_meta":{"origin":3588,"position":0},"title":"Irish-style Soda Bread","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"March 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Traditional Irish soda bread consists just of flour, buttermilk, salt and baking soda. Americans added sugar, raisins and sometimes caraway seed. Soda bread gets stale in a day and crumbles when you try to slice it. The New York Times in March 2007 discussed this here , with an improved\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bake&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7236,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2022\/01\/vegan-cornbread\/","url_meta":{"origin":3588,"position":1},"title":"Vegan Cornbread with Niblets and Scallions","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"January 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I love cornbread but not enough, usually, to eat a whole pan. My Beloved will have a bite and remind me she doesn't like cornbread, so there's the rest of it sitting there, New Year's after New Year's. She likes this one. This recipe is historically a Southern cornbread in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bake&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Savory Vegan Cornbread","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Vegan-Cornbread-with-Corn-and-Scallions-010222-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Vegan-Cornbread-with-Corn-and-Scallions-010222-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Vegan-Cornbread-with-Corn-and-Scallions-010222-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Vegan-Cornbread-with-Corn-and-Scallions-010222-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Vegan-Cornbread-with-Corn-and-Scallions-010222-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Vegan-Cornbread-with-Corn-and-Scallions-010222-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6943,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2020\/12\/pando-pan-loaf\/","url_meta":{"origin":3588,"position":2},"title":"Pando Pan Loaf","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"December 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Years ago I did sourdough for a spell but moved to other recipes, ending up at the no-knead school. All the talk about sourdough baking during the 2020-21 novel coronavirus-2019 pandemic, and pockets of time from working at home, led me to return. King Arthur Flour has been my touchstone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bake&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ink drawing of a loaf of bread","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-loaf-openclipart.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-loaf-openclipart.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-loaf-openclipart.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-loaf-openclipart.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-loaf-openclipart.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-loaf-openclipart.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4260,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2013\/05\/no-knead-bread\/","url_meta":{"origin":3588,"position":3},"title":"Bread Gone to Pot","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"May 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"If New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman ran his \"Minimalist\" piece \"The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work\" in November 2006, then this has been my go-to method week-in week-out for 6 1\/2 years. I began baking bread in about 1989 so I've tried lots of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bake&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The crumb texture of my pumpernickel no-knead loaf.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Pumper-close-up-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4778,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2014\/04\/tasty-homemade-matzo\/","url_meta":{"origin":3588,"position":4},"title":"Tasty Homemade Matzo","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"April 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This matzo recipe tastes way better than a box. That's the joke about storebought matzo, the unleavened bread eaten instead of conventional yeast or baking soda\/powder loaves or other baked goods during the Jewish holiday of Passover. Yet I've always liked matzo, and factory-made does taste far better than cardboard.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bake&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tasty homemade matzo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/matzo-041514-1000x-300x300.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5039,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2014\/12\/vegan-schnecken\/","url_meta":{"origin":3588,"position":5},"title":"Snack on Vegan Schnecken","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"December 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, schnecken can be veganized. I wouldn't be posting, but the sweet rolls were a hit at a party Christmas afternoon. The friends won't know the pastries were animal free until they read this. The earlier recipe, in this Brick \"Savor Schnecken Like a Snail,\" was last updated a year\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bake&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bake","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/bake\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Schnecken","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Schnecken.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3588"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6301,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3588\/revisions\/6301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}