Wednesday, April 16, 2025

No Wasting Here!

Last month a group I belong to had a St. Patrick's pot luck dinner. I volunteered to bring bread, and made a loaf of Irish Soda Bread. Actually, I made two loaves.

The simple bread has four ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk), and is baked in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. The recipe directions said to line the pan with parchment paper before putting the batter in. I did that, and was irritated when the paper stuck onto the bottom and sides. I couldn't tak it to my event, so I tried again. The second time I added the batter into a well seasoned, lightly greased skillet. After baking it came out like a charm.

Everyone at the event said they enjoyed the second loaf. Hubby Tony and I eventually ate our way through the imperfect one, picking the adhered paper off the crust each time we ate a slice.

For my first attempt at soda bread making I bought just buttermilk, but later in the day when Tony went back to get more for me the only thing in the dairy case was a small jug that had twice as much as I needed. Not a problem; I ended up freezing the extra for something down the line.

For the last couple of days I've been planning our Easter dinner, which will include me, Tony, and Son Donald. This afternoon I asked Tony if he wanted the meal to include bread from the bakery or another loaf of Irish Soda bread. He quickly chose the latter, and I got to work. 

Ninety minutes later the completed loaf was cooling on a rack, and it will go in the freezer until Sunday. I crossed 'bread' off my grocery list.

Five years ago today: Just Right

26 comments:

  1. Oh well done! her mother-in-law, born and raised in Ireland, tried to teach my daughter to make this. I gather that several lessons were necessary plus just the right pan. Hmm. I just got a new pan for my birthday. I wonder.
    Yours looks just as I believe it should. Again. Well done and, um, yum.

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  2. Yum, it looks good.
    I used to make soda bread like yours but this year I ordered it from a bakery and it had raisins in it and I really liked it. Made great toast!

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    1. The Internet was quite divided as to if soda bread should or should not include raisins.

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    2. I would think authentic Irish soda bread has no raisins.

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  3. Proud of you. You are ahead on your Sunday meal and it comes with a delicious soda bread to make your meal a huge success..

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    1. I hate it when I have a big task waiting for me and can't do anything about it. I would much rather cook ahead of time.

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  4. Looks absolutely delicious. Nothing is better than homemade bread. Happy Easter.

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  5. I make a nice multigrain soda bread and just bake it on a pizza pan. Yes, it has raisins! And a buttermilk wash on top with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and flax seeds. Yummy, and makes great toast as well.

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    1. Multigrain! That's what I need to do for the next loaf.

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  6. We get a nice Irish Soda Bread from Wildflower Bread Company, I'll be getting my Hot Cross Buns there this Week too for Easter.

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  7. Nothing smells as good as baking bread! I love to cook with iron skillets. Mine are so old and well seasoned that nothing ever sticks in them. I even make dressing in my biggest one. If I run out of buttermilk, I just adda tsp of apple cider vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit a few minutes to thicken.

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    1. I've found that any type of acid mixed into milk will sour it, but I thought I would use the real thing since the bread was for 'company'.

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  8. It looks excellent and very tasty.

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  9. That looks really good. I haven't had bread in over a year and I miss it.

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    1. I don't eat much bread, but I would miss it too.

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  10. It kinda looks like a roasted marshmallow!

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  11. Your Soda Bread looks delish. I make a Pistachio Soda Bread that we love. I've never used parchment paper, just grease the baking sheet.

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    1. Pistachio Soda Bread sounds like something we would like,

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