Okay, here it comes, the great self-referential post for the week. Every year I make Irish soda bread for St. Patrick’s Day. Is it because it’s the one day when you’re so drunk you won’t notice if the bread doesn’t quite work out? Is it because a dry crumbly bread goes great with boiled everything? Is it because a few crumbs on your face help distract from the black eye and missing tooth? Can I throw any more horrible stereotypes into a series of rhetorical questions? Really, I like soda bread for the quickness and the unbelievable aroma when it bakes. Nothing is like soda bread when it’s ten at night and you want something toasted and slathered with butter. Irish soda bread was one of my first great successful and beautiful breads and still one of my favorites to bake. Do yourself a favor and give this a try. The recipe is pretty easy and people will be falling all over themselves if you make it this weekend. Even if you don’t make it, people will still fall all over themselves. And with that parting shot, happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Writer, architect, father, husband.
Looks delicious! I made soda bread last year…no raisins. This year I am seeing soda bread with raisins…and caraway seeds. Does yours have caraway seeds? It sure looks good!
Actually those are currants, and I flavor it with cardamom instead of carroway. But there are lots of variety and really it should just be good, quick, and crumbly!
Please have pix ready with baby h with crumbs of Irish soda bread all over face and environs with him wearing that snazzy St. Pt Day’s outfit!