Start St. Patrick’s Day with the authentic taste of home-made Irish Soda Bread
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day weekend, The Barefoot Contessa shows how quick and easy it is to make this delicious Irish treat. There’s no rising or excessive kneading, just a straightforward and easy-to-follow recipe that will yield deliciously light and crusty bread.
If you talk to anyone with Irish roots, they will quickly inform you that the most Irish thing you can consume on St. Patrick’s Day is not corned beef and cabbage, it’s not Guinness, it’s not even Jameson; it’s Irish Soda Bread. The real beauty of Irish soda bread is that you can incorporate it into all three meals if you so choose: it is amazing toasted at breakfast, it is a great complement to any lunch, and it is a must-have for a proper Irish St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
Ina Garten’s recipe for Irish soda bread is so simple, even the most inexperienced of bakers can follow it, as long as you have a reliable mixer and can prep your ingredients in a timely manner. It may be a little hard to come by dried currants, so if you’re really in a pinch and dried currants are the only thing standing between you and a fresh-baked loaf of bread, raisins can be used in a pinch.
We’re giving you a few days of advance notice with this recipe, as the soda bread is a part of a good St. Patrick’s Day meal that can be made well in advance. So gather your ingredients, get that oven pre-warmed, and get ready to enjoy some delicious Irish goodness this St. Patrick’s Day!
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
- 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 cup dried currants
