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The Myth
of Irish Soda Bread
Is soda bread just another
Irish myth? Sure the rounds of sconelike, currant-studded
bread is sold in American bakeries on St. Patrick’s Day
and you’ll find it in Irish airports, tightly wrapped in
airtight plastic bags for tourists to pick up as a last
souvenir. But on a week’s travel across Ireland, from
breakfast in a Georgian manor to supper in village pubs, my
husband and I never once came across what we think of as
Irish soda bread.
What we did find, were
loaves of deliciously grainy brown bread served at every
meal, just as breads and rolls are served in American
restaurants. These are not yeast breads but quick breads.
According to Finola Curry, innkeeper, "...the raising
agent is baking powder and/or baking soda... there must be
scores of recipes – every cook adds their own touch."
They may be round or baked as a loaf, some are slightly
sweet, others have only a pinch of salt added. No matter
what the recipe or method, ingredients are simple, they are
mixed in minutes, and there’s no long proofing in order
for the bread to rise. The raising agent, baking powder
and/or baking soda, when combined with a liquid, releases
carbon dioxide bubbles making the bread or cakes rise. This
method makes home baking quick and easy, certainly cheaper
than storebought and there’s no need for preservatives.
The most common baking powder is double acting; some gas is
released when moistened and the rest when exposed to oven
heat. Baking powder ages quickly. To test for freshness,
combine a teaspoon baking powder with 1/3 cup hot water. If
it bubbles and fizzes quickly, it’s fine.
Our first taste of Irish
hospitality and an introduction to the brown bread was
breakfast at Simmonstown House, a very elegant B&B, in
the Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge. We sat down at a polished
refactory table where baskets of fresh baked bread, pots of
sweet butter and chunky jams were set out on starched lace
tablemats. Proprietor Finola Curry’s version has a nubbly,
crunchy crust, the bread inside soft and faintly sweet. A
couple of slices with tea sipped from delicate china cups
and milk poured from an antique silver tea service would
have been enough for the first meal of the day. Not so. A
side table groaned under dishes of plum and peach compotes,
fresh berries, cereals and juices. Finally, platters of
eggs, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, spiced meats, mealy
puddings(similar to kishke), and thinly sliced toast – all
cooked to order. Complacent and well-fed, we set out to
explore the Irish backroads.
In Bunclody, a tiny one
street village in County Wexford, we stumbled on the Chantry
Cafe, just before the restaurant closed to set up for a
funeral tea. The friendly priest supping at the next table
explained that instead of going back to the family home,
mourners now come back to a restaurant for a meal. " a
contemporary custom," he said ruefully. We had no
difficulty in tucking into sticky toffee pudding which we
couldn’t resist and Chantry brown bread - thickly sliced,
crumbly with a thin crust, and of course a pot of strong,
hot tea. High-style dining is the trademark of The Trinity
Rooms Restaurant at Barnabrow Country House, a spacious,
comfortable B&B in Cloyne, Midleton, East Cork.. Eamon
Harty, the head chef, is a pioneer of New Irish Cuisine,
much of the ingredients used are grown in Barnabrow organic
gardens. Here the brown bread was warm, the thin slices
nestling in a napkin covered basket. Barnabrow Country House
is worth a mention for both excellence in comfort and fine
food. Voted as one of the most romantic houses in Ireland
(Bridgestone Guide), the house is set on a hill, overlooking
lush green pastures. In 1996, Geraldine and John O’Brien
transformed the 400 year old mansion, into a luxurious,
environmentally conscious household. My breakfast, moist
brown bread and a new laid softly boiled egg with a dab of
butter ... the perfect beginning to a new day.
On the last leg of our
journey we arrived at Doolin, a tiny fishing village on the
west coast of County Clare and only half an hour by ferry
boat from the Arran Isles. In her kitchen overlooking the
cliffs of Mohar, Mary Gray bakes dozens of loaves of brown
bread, fennel bread, and Guinness cake daily for the cafe at
the Doolin Craft Gallery. But for a good supper and
traditional Irish music, " it’s McDermotts Pub you’ll
be wantin’" advised Maria Canavan of St. Catherines’
farmhouse, where we were lucky enough to have a reservation
for the night. (in summer, 2,000 tourists descend on the
village). Rubbing shoulders with an Israeli couple, a bard
from Dublin, and local farmers, we listened well into the
wee hours to toe-tapping Irish jigs and ballads, the
ambience rivalling anything Riverdance could perform on
Broadway. This pub’s grub was simple, fresh and wholesome
- wild salmon, mashed tatties and neeps (potatoes and
turnips) - and for good measure, a couple slices of brown
bread and butter.
 Mary Gray’s
Fennel Bread (dairy)
makes 1 loaf (10 slices)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fennel seed, divided
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 – 1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
* or 1 cup milk plus 2
teaspoons vinegar. Let stand 15 minutes or more at room
temperature
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray
a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine flour, salt, baking
powder, sugar and 2 teaspoons fennel seed. Stir in bell
pepper and green onions. Make a well in center. Add enough
buttermilk, stirring with a fork, to make a soft dough.
Transfer to prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining
fennel seeds. Cover with a dome of aluminum foil. Bake in
preheated oven 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F. and bake
10-15 minutes longer or until a toothpick comes out clean
when inserted. Cool on a wire rack.
approx. nutrients per
slice:calories – 107 protein – 4g carbohydrates – 21g
fat - 1g cholesterol –
2mg sodium – 281mg
Finola Curry’s
Brown Bread - dairy
1 loaf – l0 slices
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon steel cut oats*
1/4 cup bulgur wheat
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
*available in health food
stores
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray
a loaf tin (9x5x3-inch) with non-stick cooking spray. In a
medium bowl, mix the flours, 1/4 cup steel cut oats, bulgur
wheat, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Make a well in
center. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft sticky mixture.
Transfer to the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining oats
over. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a
skewer or sandwich pick comes out clean. Remove from pan.
Turn oven off. Place on a baking sheet and return to oven
for 10 minutes for a good crust. Place on a wire rack to
cool completely before slicing.
Approx. nutrients per
slice: calories – 158 protein – 6g carbohydrates – 33g
fat – 1g cholesterol –
2mg sodium – 203mg
 Guinness
Cake (pareve)
1 loaf (12 slices)
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped prunes
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
4 tablespoons margarine, cut in pieces
1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup dark beer (may be flat)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray
an 8-inch round cake pan or 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with
non-stick cooking spray. Place dates, raisins, prunes,
walnuts, margarine, baking soda and beer in a large bowl.
Heat at High for 3 minutes for margarine to melt and mixture
to begin to bubble. Stir to mix. Let stand at room
temperature for 20 – 30 minutes. Stir in the eggs and 1/2
cup flour. Add the remaining flour and mix well. Transfer to
prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until
skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire
rack. Cut with a serrated knife.
approx. nutrients per
slice: calories – 209 protein – 4g carbohydrates – 35g
fat – 6g cholesterol –
35mg sodium – 234mg
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