Mcnamaras Irish Soda Bread Recipes

EASY IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, raisins, caraway seeds, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients to form a dough.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 4 minutes; add more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Form dough into a 9-inch round; place on prepared baking sheet. Brush loaf with remaining tablespoon butter. Using a sharp knife, score an X on top of loaf.
• Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack before serving.

MARILYN O'REILLY'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• 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 caraway seeds if used and 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 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes more, 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.

MARTHA'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk and vinegar; let stand until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in bran, seeds, and raisins.
• Add milk mixture; stir until dough just holds together but is still sticky. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a round loaf, about 7 inches in diameter. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Lightly dust top of loaf with flour. Using a sharp knife, score an X in top. Bake, rotating halfway through, until loaf is golden brown and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

MRS. SHARP'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix together flour, soda, salt, and sugar.
• Add sour milk and stir together with a wooden spoon. The dough should be thick and sticky, but not too wet.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and form with hands into a round loaf. Place the loaf into a cast-iron frying pan or heavy round casserole dish that has been greased with butter. Score the top in the form of a cross with a wet knife (dig in at least an inch).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Bread should cool for an hour before serving (but I like to eat it while it's still warm!).
• Note: If the loaf is made with whole-meal wheat flour, it is known as brown bread; if made with unbleached white flour, it's Irish soda bread. Authentic Irish soda bread is made with sour milk, not buttermilk, or milk soured by adding vinegar or lemon juice. To sour milk, simply leave it out overnight.