Well, I had every intention of posting this yesterday, St. Patrick’s Day, but the planets aligned in just such a way that I could not make it happen. First, this whole Daylight Savings Time has thrown off my chi. Second, the Guinness was flowing like wine. Third, the time in the evening I had reserved for blogging about this delightful bread was instead spent watching the Lifetime Movie Television broadcast of My Stepson, My Lover*.
A major apology to my loyal readers, but when I saw that little gem pop up on my television schedule, I knew there would be no time for blog updates.
I had never baked Irish Soda Bread before. It’s basically a cross between biscuits and quick bread and this version is baked in one large, cohesive, free-form mound. It comes together very quickly and is leavened with baking soda and powder, rather than with yeast. This results in a fairly dense bread, but not too dense.
Raisins and caraway seeds give it a ton of flavor and I love the thick crust the bread develops. It’s fantastic slathered with that salty Irish butter you can find in specialty grocery stores.
*It was every bit as awesome as the title suggested it would be.
[...] Irish Soda Bread which was very quick and easy and utterly delicious. We ate this with some really rich, salty [...]