Kiss Me, It's time to get ready....

Have you been thinking about what you are going to do for St Patrick's Day foods yet? Well I am here to get you jumped started....Here is submission number one of my suggested St. Patrick Day Foods....

So, I was clamoring around in my spices/baking cabinet and I came upon printed papers for two Irish Soda Bread Recipes that were titled "McCall's Cooking School." No idea where I got them or remember printing them out. (and why were they stuck in my cabinet instead of the recipe notebook I store printed recipes?) I did my duty to research and see if such place still existed on the web and found many more recipes labeled "McCall's Cooking school"- this and that...but no real site anymore apparently... Oh well. So much for giving credit.

But I have made both of these recipes before and I was happy to have found them! The whole wheat one is less sweet, definitely more of a 'wheaty' taste due to the use of WW flour. The other is slightly more moist and sweeter. I prefer the Irish Soda Bread over the Whole Wheat, but that is just me. I think you should bake both and decide for yourself...

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup raisins (I added this only because I think soda bread isn't the same without raisins!)

Preheat oven @ 375 degrees. Lightly grease the surface of a small baking sheet or use a silpat.

Put the first 5 ingredients in a sifter and sift into a large bowl. Add whole wheat flour and using two forks, toss the flour mixture together until very well combined. (Add your raisins, if you choose to use them.)

1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp. melted butter

Pour buttermilk into flour mixture all at once. Gently toss mixture together with a fork until dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not overmix. Using hands, gently gather flour mixture together and press firmly into a ball.

Put dough onto a lightly floured pastry cloth or board. Knead gently with palms of your hands until dough is smooth (about 1 minute). Shape into a smooth round ball and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Using hands, flatten dough into a circle that is about 7 inches in diameter. (dough will be about 1-1/2 inches thick). Press a large floured knife into center of loaf, making a big +

Bake bread 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Brush top with melted butter. Slice when cool and enjoy the same day. Makes 1 loaf of bread.




















Irish Soda Bread (non-whole wheat- this is my preferred one)

2 cups AP flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven @ 375 degrees. Lightly grease the surface of a small baking sheet or use a silpat.
Put the first 5 ingredients in a sifter and sift into a large bowl.

3 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup raisins

Add softened butter and cut into flour using a pastry blender or fork until mixture looks like crumbs. Add raisins and toss thoroughly.

1 cup buttermilk

Pour buttermilk into flour mixture all at once. Gently toss mixture together with a fork until dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not overmix. Using hands, gently gather flour mixture together and press firmly into a ball.

Put dough onto a lightly floured pastry cloth or board. Knead gently with palms of your hands until dough is smooth (about 1 minute). Shape into a smooth round ball and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Using hands, flatten dough into a circle that is about 7 inches in diameter. (dough will be about 1-1/2 inches thick). Press a large floured knife into center of loaf, making a big + (I did 3 slits here)

1 Tbsp butter, melted

Bake bread 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Brush top with melted butter and later dust with flour. (I decided to omit this part, I like the buttery outside, rather a floury one.) Makes 1 loaf of bread.