Adobe Stock | Photo by Stephanie Frey
Use The Culinary Institute of America’s picture-perfect Irish soda bread recipe to bring a taste of the “Emerald Isle” to the Hudson Valley.
Irish Soda Bread
Makes two loaves or 16 rolls
Ingredients:
4 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup dark raisins
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
1 cup cold milk
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it lightly with cooking spray or lining it with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt together into a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal.
Add the raisins, caraway seeds, and milk. Mix the dough until just combined; avoid over-mixing as this will cause the dough to toughen.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a ball. Form the dough into two equal loaves, or cut into 16 equal pieces to make rolls. Dust with flour and lightly score an “X” across the top of each roll or loaf with a sharp knife.
Bake the soda bread until it is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about eight to 10 minutes for rolls and 25 minutes for loaves. Wrap the bread in a tea towel directly from the oven.
Cool the soda bread in the tea towel on a wire rack before serving. It can be held at room temperature for up to two days or frozen for up to four weeks.
The recipe is from the Culinary Institute of America’s Breakfasts & Brunches cookbook (Lebhar-Friedman 2005).