Lifestyles Breaking News

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Recipes for Irish soda bread, including double chocolate cherry and oatmeal-rye with herbs

By: Alison Ladman, The Associated Press

Thursday, Mar. 7, 2013 at 9:54 AM | Comments: 0

In this image taken on Feb.18, 2013, from top, oatmeal-rye soda bread with herbs and walnuts, Irish soda bread, left, and double chocolate cherry soda bread are shown in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

This classic Irish quick bread — no rising time needed — lends itself to numerous creative variations. Traditional recipes often call for nothing but flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk or yogurt. Currants are a common addition, but that's just the start. Any number of seeds, nuts, chopped dried fruit and even chocolate can be added.

For our take on soda bread, we decided to have a little of everything. We started with a rich take on the classic recipe, studding it with currants and caraway seeds. But then we also show you how to swap those out to make an oatmeal-rye version with walnuts and fresh thyme and chives. And for a sweet finish, we created a chocolate variation, adding a generous 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, dried cherries and dark chocolate.

To create your own variations, start with the basic recipe and leave out the caraway seeds and currants. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of seasonings and about 1 cup of dried fruit, nuts or seeds.

___

IRISH SODA BREAD THREE WAYS

Start to finish: 1 hour (20 minutes active)

Servings: 12 (per variety)

4 cups white pastry flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup dried currants, plumped in hot water

1 egg

1 2/3 cups buttermilk or plain regular yogurt (not Greek style)

Heat the oven to 400 F. Coat a loaf pan or a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and caraway seeds, if using. While stirring, mix in the melted butter until small lumps form and the butter has been evenly distributed. Gently stir in the currants.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. All at once, pour the egg-buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Stir gently but thoroughly, just until the flour mixture is moistened. Do not over-mix the dough or the bread will be tough.

Scoop the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted at the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with butter or jam.

Nutrition information per serving: 270 calories; 60 calories from fat (22 per cent of total calories); 7 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 6 g protein; 300 mg sodium.

___

OATMEAL-RYE SODA BREAD WITH HERBS AND WALNUTS

Follow the recipe above, but instead of white pastry flour substitute 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, 1 cup oatmeal and 1 cup rye flour. Omit the caraway seeds. In place of the currants, stir in 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives and 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts. Bake as directed.

Nutrition information per serving: 300 calories; 130 calories from fat (43 per cent of total calories); 14 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 36 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 8 g protein; 300 mg sodium.

___

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHERRY SODA BREAD

Follow the main recipe, but sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder into the dry ingredients in the first step. Also, increase the sugar to 2/3 cup and omit the caraway seeds. In place of the currants, stir in 1 cup chopped dried cherries and 1 cup chopped dark chocolate. Bake as directed.

Nutrition information per serving: 370 calories; 120 calories from fat (32 per cent of total calories); 14 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 60 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 20 g sugar; 7 g protein; 300 mg sodium.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: Alison Ladman is a recipe developer for the AP. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CrustAndCrumbCo

Rate this
This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 0 Comments

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.