The
Food of Ireland
SODA BREAD
4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins or dried currants, rinsed in hot
water and patted dry
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 cups buttermilk
Into a large bowl sift together the flour, the
baking powder, the salt, and the
baking soda and stir in the raisins and the caraway
seeds. Add the buttermilk
and stir the mixture until it forms a dough. Turn
the dough out onto a
well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute.
Halve the dough, with floured
hands shape each half into a round loaf, and transfer
the loaves to a lightly
greased baking sheet. Cut an X 1/4 inch deep across
the tops of the loaves
with a sharp knife and bake the loaves in the
middle of a preheated 350°F.
oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes
out clean. Transfer the
loaves to racks and let them cool.
Makes 2 loaves
For the whole-wheat version of this loaf 1.5 cups of the
bread flour with whole-wheat flour and exclude the fruit and caraway and
it will be great served toasted with smoked salmon.
Interestingly enough the practise of adding caraway to soda bread
has died out in Ireland altough it is actually traditional an has been
carried on in the Irish American community.
Barm Brack
1/2 c. lukewarm milk
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. fresh yeast
2 c. plain flour
1 tsp. mixed spice
1 egg
3 tbsp. butter
2 c. mixed fruit (currants, sultana, raisins, candied peel)
2 tbsp. caster sugar
pinch salt
Cream the yeast and the sugar and allow to froth up in the milk,
which shouls be at blood heat. Sieve the flour, caster sugar, and spice
and rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture
and the egg, beaten. Beat with a wooden spoon spoon for about 10 minutes
until a good dough forms. The fruit and the salt should be worked in by
hand and whole kneaded. Put in a warm bowl, cover and allow to rise in
a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size. Knead lightly and
place in a lightly greased 7" diameter cake tin and allow a further 30
minutes rising time. Bake near the top of a pre-heated oven at gas mark
6 (400 degrees F, 200 degress C) for 45 minutes. On removing from the oven
brack can be glazed with a syrup made from 2 tsp. sugar dissolved in 3
tsp. boiling water.
Scones
8 oz / 250 g / 2 cups self raising flour
1 1/2 oz / 50 g / 3 tbsp butter
1/4 pt / 150 ml / 1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
Sieve flower into a bowl and rub int the butter quickly and lightly
with fingertips add salt and mix in milk. Knead softly into a soft dough
add a little more milk as necessary to keep moist. Role out evenly one
finger thick on a cutting board.Cut out with q quick sharp motion. Cook
on greased pan at 425 F for 12-15 minutes.
Irish Farmhouse Loaf
Servings: 8
8 oz Flour
4 oz Sugar
8 oz Mixed dried fruit
1/2 x Grated rind of a lemon
2 T Butter
1/2 t Salt
2 t Baking powder
1 pn Baking soda
1 x Egg, beaten
1 1/4 c Buttermilk
Mix the flour, sugar, fruit, lemon rind, butter, baking powder and
soda. Add the beaten egg and the buttermilk to make a nice soft
dough; beat well and pour into a greased 2-pound loaf pan. Bake at
300 F for 1 hour, or until it tests done with a skewer.
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