Irish Soda Bread

I was on a mission last week to research recipes, bake, and eat Irish Soda Bread, so I could make it again for St. Patrick's' Day. We don't do much around here for this holiday, but I love any excuse to bake— especially any bread. The funny thing is, I had never eaten Irish Soda Bread. For real. It just never came up in my family and in bakeries (if they even sold Irish Soda Bread) I was always too distracted by the other items to even notice it. So, to round out my research, I need to eat some more, some that I have not made. For comparisons sake.

I made 2 rounds here, one plain and very bare bones authentic (using this recipe) and then I added currants, caraway seed, and orange zest as mix-ins.

I'm going to make the one with the currants again—but using a different recipe, the one from The Grand Central Baking Book cookbook. It's actually much more like a scone—not really the same thing at all. They sell this as well (at Grand Central Bakery here in Portland) and I need to stop in and try some. Here is the recipe as it appears in the book.

Like cornbread, there seems to be a ton of variations with lots of emotions, family lore, and rules made to be broken. Ultimately, I do prefer either yeasted breads or straight-up scones to a classic Irish Soda Bread—but I'm not complaining about these one bit. Especially with butter and jam, or a big bowl of soup to dip it in, of course.

Hey, thanks for all the eMailorder #11 love! Don't forget about the Mailorder Group on flickr, which is a great place to share tips and ask questions about the recipes.