Soda Breads For St PatrickÂs Day Martha Rose Shulman Recipes

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.

MARTHA'S SODA BREAD WITH RYE AND CURRANTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine milk and vinegar in a bowl; let stand until curdled and thickened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together both flours, wheat bran, sugar, salt, and baking soda; stir in caraway seeds and currants.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk mixture and stir together, starting in center and working outward, until a sticky dough forms (do not overmix). Transfer to a generously floured work surface and, with floured hands, form a cohesive ball. (Do not overwork dough.)
• Pat ball into a 7-inch-wide domed round and transfer to a baking sheet. Cut a 1-inch-deep "X" with a floured knife across top of round. Using a wooden skewer, poke holes at 1-inch intervals to bottom of dough (about 28 holes total).
• Bake soda bread until cooked through and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 1 hour and 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving with butter. Bread can be made 2 days ahead and stored, whole, at room temperature, in a paper bag or wrapped in parchment.

GRANDPA MCANDREW'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cast iron skillet.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and sugar. Toss the raisins with the flour mixture until coated. Make a well in the center and add the egg, buttermilk, and melted margarine. Stir until all of the dry ingredients are absorbed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a few quick turns just to even out the dough. Handle the dough as little as possible. Pat into a flat circle, and place into the prepared pan.
• Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden.

WHOLE WHEAT SODA BREAD WITH RAISINS (SPOTTED DOG)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment. In a large bowl, mix together flours, soda, salt and brown sugar. Swish mixture around with your hands to distribute salt and soda through the bread. Add raisins and toss mixture together to coat raisins with flour.
• Beat egg and place in a measuring cup. Add buttermilk; the liquid in the cup should measure about 1 3/4 cups.
• Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour egg/buttermilk mixture into the well. Working from the center of the bowl in concentric clockwise circles, with fingers outstretched, stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture. (You can use a rubber spatula instead if you don't like getting dough on your hands.) This should take about a half a minute at most. Dough will be sticky and ragged.
• Dust your work surface with flour, clean and dry your hands and dust with flour. Scrape out dough and very quickly and gently pat it into a 1 1/2- to 2-inch-high round and tuck the bottom edges under. (Alternatively, place in a lightly buttered 10-inch round cake pan.) Place on parchment-covered baking sheet. Moisten a knife and cut a deep cross across top of bread.
• Place in oven and immediately turn the heat down to 400 degrees. Bake 40 minutes, until the loaf is dark brown and makes a hollow sound when tapped. Remove from oven, wrap loosely in a kitchen towel (to soften the crust) and place on a rack to cool.

SODA BREADS FOR ST. PATRICK€™S DAY-MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Steps:

• • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment. In a large bowl, mix together flours, soda, salt and brown sugar. Swish mixture around with your hands to distribute salt and soda through the bread. Add raisins and toss mixture together to coat raisins with flour. • Beat egg and place in a measuring cup. Add buttermilk; the liquid in the cup should measure about 1 3/4 cups. • Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour egg/buttermilk mixture into the well. Working from the center of the bowl in concentric clockwise circles, with fingers outstretched, stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture. (You can use a rubber spatula instead if you don’t like getting dough on your hands.) This should take about a half a minute at most. Dough will be sticky and ragged. Dust your work surface with flour, clean and dry your hands and dust with flour. Scrape out dough and very quickly and gently pat it into a 1 1/2- to 2-inch-high round and tuck the bottom edges under. (Alternatively, place in a lightly buttered 10-inch round cake pan.) • Place on parchment-covered baking sheet. Moisten a knife and cut a deep cross across top of bread. • Place in oven and immediately turn the heat down to 400 degrees. Bake 40 minutes, until the loaf is dark brown and makes a hollow sound when tapped. Remove from oven, wrap loosely in a kitchen towel (to soften the crust) and place on a rack to cool. Advance preparation: Soda bread is best eaten within 2 days of baking. If it dries out you can still enjoy it toasted.