Mrs Sharps Irish Soda Bread Food

MRS. SHARP'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix together flour, soda, salt, and sugar.
• Add sour milk and stir together with a wooden spoon. The dough should be thick and sticky, but not too wet.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and form with hands into a round loaf. Place the loaf into a cast-iron frying pan or heavy round casserole dish that has been greased with butter. Score the top in the form of a cross with a wet knife (dig in at least an inch).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Bread should cool for an hour before serving (but I like to eat it while it's still warm!).
• Note: If the loaf is made with whole-meal wheat flour, it is known as brown bread; if made with unbleached white flour, it's Irish soda bread. Authentic Irish soda bread is made with sour milk, not buttermilk, or milk soured by adding vinegar or lemon juice. To sour milk, simply leave it out overnight.

BRENNAN'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Stir the milk and vinegar together, and allow to stand until curdled, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• Gradually stir the soured milk into the flour mixture until the dough just comes together, and turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead a few times, and shape into a round. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut an X shape into the top of the dough to release steam and help the bread keep its round shape.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

MOM'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grease a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the buttermilk into a small bowl; place remainder of 1 cup buttermilk into a separate bowl.
• Stir golden raisins into the larger amount of buttermilk and allow raisins to soak while you complete the remaining steps.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the melted butter into the small bowl with the tablespoon of buttermilk; stir to combine and set aside. Set remaining melted butter aside.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in reserved butter, and stir until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Mix the egg into the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
• Mix the soaked raisins with buttermilk into dough and shape dough into a ball.
• Place the ball of dough into prepared pie dish and lightly pat dough down so top is slightly domed.
• Use a sharp knife to cut two crisscrossing lines through the center of the loaf about 1/4 inch deep.
• Thoroughly brush buttermilk and butter mixture over the loaf, getting the mixture into the crevices.
• Bake in the preheated oven until loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour.

RICH IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds until well combined.
• Using a pastry cutter or two knives in scissor fashion, cut in butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. Stir in raisins until evenly distributed.
• In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. It should resemble a rough biscuit dough. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Lift the loaf from the bowl, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. With a sharp knife or razor, incise a cross, about 1/2 inch deep, into the top of the loaf. Transfer to the oven. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer bread from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.

MAUD HERLIHY'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack set in lower third of oven. Lightly butter a 10-inch round cast-iron skillet; set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter, sour cream and egg; mix, using a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins, buttermilk, and caraway seeds, if using, and mix until a sticky dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a floured bench scraper, form into a round loaf; using a sharp knife score a large "X" in the center.
• Place in prepared skillet and transfer to oven. Bake until loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. If top begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

MCCANN'S OAT BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Lightly dust the surface of a baking sheet with flour.
• Stir together the flours, oats, sugar and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
• Using your fingertips, quickly rub in the butter.
• Make a well in the centre and gradually stir in the buttermilk with a wooden spoon until the dough is soft and manageable.
• (You might not use all the buttermilk.).
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 1 minute.
• Divide in half.
• Shape the dough into two balls and place in the centre of the baking sheet.
• Use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough into disks about 1 1/2 inches thick.
• Use a sharp knife to cut a fairly deep cross into each disk so that it will break apart easily into quarters after baking.
• Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until browned and the tester emerges clean and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
• Cool slightly on a rack before serving warm.