Growing up I always thought my ancestral roots were half Polish and half Irish, with a little bit of Swedish thrown in for good measure. And up until recently if you asked me what my ethnic make-up was, that is what I would have told you. My youngest brother recently decided to have his DNA evaluated by one of the more popular genetic testing companies. And since we both share the same birth parents (although I secretly want to believe I was switched at birth in the hospital), I am going to assume we have exactly the same ethnicity make-up. And guess what? My ethnicity isn't what I thought or was told it was. Seems 44% of my ethnicity is Eastern European and Russian. As a side note, I only recently learned my father's grandfather was Russian not Polish so that explains some of that. But clearly I am not half Polish. As for being Swedish for good measure, well it seems my Swedish ethnicity estimate is 29%. And along with a 4% Norwegian estimate (I suppose you could say good measure), I am much closer to being about a third Scandinavian. As for my Irish heritage, well the analysis showed my DNA had only a 7% Irish ethnicity estimate. A far cry from that half Irish blarney I was told growing up! If the saying 'if you are lucky enough to be Irish, you are lucky enough' holds true, how lucky enough should some with 7% Irish ethnicity be? Guessing it might not be as lucky as being at least 50% or 100% Irish.
Yet regardless of our ethnic make-up, the one we think it is and the one it really is, we all seem to love some of the St. Patrick's Day traditions. Both the Irish ones as well as the American Irish ones. More than likely you won't find either green beer, corned beef and cabbage or rivers dyed emerald green on this holiday if you were lucky enough to be spending the holiday in Ireland. But you might find a warm loaf of Irish Soda Bread being served up with some Irish butter and a cuppa. Although truth be told, Irish Soda Bread is actually made year round in Ireland. And honestly, I think we should all be making it more than one week or one month a year.
If you don't have a treasured family recipe, one passed down through the generations, or don't have a mother-daughter annual Irish Soda Bread making tradition, this is the recipe to change all of that.
This craggily topped loaf studded with raisins is dense, moist, tender, and a tiny bit sweet. A plate with thick slices served warm or toasted and slathered with some really good Irish butter is almost impossible to resist.
Made with only eight ingredients, Irish Soda Bread is essentially a quick bread. Grating ice cold butter makes the process of incorporating it into the dry ingredients quick and easy. Using an Irish or European Style butter isn't an absolute necessity, but for some reason Irish Soda Bread wouldn't be Irish without it. The use of 1 1/8 teaspoons of baking soda reflects the rounded teaspoon used by so many authentic Irish home bakers. And always, always shake your buttermilk before measuring it. This recipe uses only raisins. Some recipes use both caraway seeds and raisins. There is another Irish Soda Bread recipe on the blog using both of those ingredients. You can find that recipe here.
Once the dough comes together, it's kneaded only long enough to get it formed into a ball. It's important to not over knead the dough or you will let some of the air out of the dough. If the dough is a bit too sticky, add in a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time. A little bit of stickiness isn't a bad thing. If you are able to pick up the ball with your floured hands and place in your parchment paper lined cast iron pan, it's perfect.
Use a sharp knife to cut an "X" into the top of the loaf before putting it in the oven. There's some folklore saying if you cut an "X" in the top of the loaf it lets the fairies out and ensures a bit of good luck. You can bet I am not messing with any Irish folklore!
In a preheated 450 degree (F) oven, the Irish Soda Bread bakes for 40-45 minutes or until beautifully golden and will spring back when lightly pressed.
Allow the bread to remain the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.
Then try to let it rest another 30 minutes before you cut it into thick slices. Allowing the bread to rest and cool down slightly makes it easier to cut.
Before sharing this recipe with you I asked my 100% Irish friend who was originally from County Mayo to taste it as I needed her Irish blessing. I can now consider this heavenly loaf of Irish Soda Bread officially blessed!
Homemade is almost always better than store bought. So make a loaf or two of this Irish Soda Bread in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Definitely serve it with some room temperature Irish butter and a cuppa (tea). And I promise, after just a few bites of this irresistibly delicious bread your day will be destined to get a wee bit luckier. No matter what your ethnic make-up might actually be!
Recipe
Irish Soda Bread
Makes 1 large delicious loaf
Updated: March 14, 2022
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup (400ml) buttermilk (well shaken before measuring)
1 large egg
4 1/2 cups (567g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
6 Tablespoons (90g) granulated sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons (6g) baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
5 1/2 Tablespoons (78g) ice cold unsalted butter grated, preferably an Irish or European style butter
1 cup (150g) dark raisins (add in an additional 1/4 cup (38g) of raisins if you like your bread heavily studded with raisins)
Optional: White Sparkling Sugar
Room temperature Irish butter for serving
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line an 11-12 inch cast iron pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Lightly butter top of parchment paper.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line an 11-12 inch cast iron pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Lightly butter top of parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and Kosher salt.
3. Add in grated butter, using your fingers to just work it into the flour.
4. Stir in the raisins.
5. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Slowly pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring with a dough whisk or wooden spoon as you pour. Continue stirring until well incorporated. Dough may be sticky. If too sticky lightly dust with and mix in one Tablespoon of flour at a time.
6. Turn the dough a lightly floured surface.
7. Lightly dust your hands and knead (or rather shape) the dough into a ball (this should take less than a minute).
8. Transfer the ball to the prepared pan. Use a sharp knife and cut a large "X" in the center of the dough ball. Because you must let the fairies out! Brush the top with some heavy cream and generously sprinkle with sparkling sugar if using. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before placing in the oven.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the bread is golden brown, springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and the center looks cooked through. Be careful to not over bake.
10. Remove from the oven and let the bread rest for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
11. Let the bread cool for another 30 minutes before cutting into thick slices. Serve with room temperature Irish butter.
12. The bread is best on the day it's made but slices can be reheated in the microwave or toasted.
Notes: (1) I used Kerrygold Unsalted butter for the bread dough but Kerrygold Salted Butter for serving. (2) When measuring the flour I used a 1 cup to 126g ratio. (3) The originally published recipe called for 4 Tablespoons of granulated sugar and baking at 450 degrees (F). This updated version increases the amount of sugar to 6 Tablespoons and reduces baking temperature to 400 degrees (F). (4) Optional, a splash of vanilla to the egg and buttermilk mixture.
Chicago River dyed Green, Chicago, Illinois (March 2021)