Soda Bread With Walnuts And Raisins Food

RASPBERRY WALNUT IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes, then let cool slightly. (Leave the oven on.) When cool enough to handle, roughly chop the nuts; set aside. Dust a baking stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and caraway seeds using a fork. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the raspberries and chopped walnuts; toss gently.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg; add to the flour mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon just until mixed. (Do not overmix.)
• For a higher, sturdier-structured bread, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly about 5 times, adding additional flour if the dough is too sticky. (This step is optional.)
• Mound the dough onto the cornmeal-dusted baking stone and bake until the loaf is slightly golden and sounds hollow when tapped, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

BANANA WALNUT BREAD

Steps:

• Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.
• With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.

WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• First fully preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Sift the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Pour all of the milk in at once. Using 1 hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured board.
• Wash and dry your hands.
• Knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up, flip over. Pat the dough into a round about 12 inches (2.5 centimeters) and cut a cross on it to let the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.
• Soda bread only takes 2 or 3 minutes to make and 20 to 30 minutes to bake. It is certainly another of my 'great convertibles'. We have had the greatest fun experimenting with different variations and uses. It's also great with olives, sun-dried tomatoes or caramelized onions added, so the possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.

SODA BREAD WITH WALNUTS AND RAISINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Sift together the flours, baking soda and salt and place in a wide bowl
• Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the walnuts and raisins and pour in the buttermilk. Using a wide rubber spatula, a wide wooden spoon or your hands mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl to the center, turning the bowl and sweeping the flour from the sides into the buttermilk. Mix until the buttermilk, raisins and walnuts have been incorporated into the flour, then scrape out onto a lightly floured work surface. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky. Flour your hands so it won't stick to them.
• Gently and quickly knead the dough, only enough to shape it into a ball, then with floured hands gently pat it down to a 2-inch high round. Place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet and cut a 1/2-inch deep cross across the top. You shouldn't let too much time lapse between the time you add the buttermilk to the flour and the moment you put the loaf into the oven.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the loaf responds with a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven, wrap loosely in a cloth or kitchen towel, and cool on a rack.

RAISIN NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, applesauce and butter. Stir applesauce mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Fold in walnuts and raisins; pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing.

MINI WALNUT SODA BREADS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly flour large baking sheet. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend well. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in toasted, chopped walnuts. Whisk buttermilk, egg and molasses in small bowl to blend. Gradually add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until medium-firm dough forms. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead until dough comes together, about 6 turns. Flatten dough into disk. Cut into 6 wedges. Shape each wedge into ball. Place on prepared sheet, spacing evenly apart. Flatten each to 3-inch round. Using sharp knife, cut shallow X in top of each round.
• Bake breads until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

IRISH SODA BREAD (WITH RAISINS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and sugar. Using a pastry blender or fingertips, work the shortening into the flour until the consistency is the same as that of small peas. Stir in the raisins and caraway and mix to distribute evenly. Gradually stir in the buttermilk, 1/4 cup at a time, using only enough to allow the dough to come together. Knead the dough for 1 to 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a round loaf and place on a greased baking sheet. Cut an X on the top and over the sides of the loaf. Bake for 45 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a rack.

ZUCCHINI WALNUT BREAD

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually beat in sugar, then oil. Add flour mixture alternately with zucchini into the egg mixture. Stir in the raisins, walnuts, and vanilla. Pour batter into two 9 x 5 inch greased and lightly floured loaf pans.
• Bake on lowest rack of the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto racks to cool completely. To freeze, wrap loaves in plastic wrap, and then wrap in heavy freezer paper. Will keep indefinitely.