Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

• Irish Soda Bread •

Proud to be Irish?
A few weeks ago I shared a recipe to celebrate the Welsh National Day, St David's Day, for those dishes and recipes <click here>. Well this week it is the turn of the Irish, March 23rd being St Patrick's Day. It is not just the Irish that celebrate this day these days, it seems no matter where you go in the world on Sunday, you will find Guinness being served, Irish stew, green bread, green lager, people wearing leprechaun hats, shamrocks and other regalia and green tinted food. And no doubt in New York there will be another amazing street parade?

So why should I / we at Hub-UK be any different? Why shouldn't we help celebrate our Gaelic brothers and sisters day.

If you intend to celebrate this day with a few pints of Guinness, a shot or two of Irish whisky then I suggest you kick off the day with a hearty breakfast and no breakfast in Ireland would be complete without their famous soda bread. Served thickly sliced and topped with butter - serve with eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, etc - this bread is an absolute must . . . and sets the tummy up to absorb all that alcohol during the day!

Irish Soda Bread

Certainly a well kept secret in many parts of the world, Irish soda bread can be made with a variety of different ingredients to suit even the most discerning palates. Wheat flour, buttermilk, and currants are commonly used in Great Britain.

Ingredients

soft flour	300	kg
baking powder	25	gm
buttermilk		sq
sugar	40	gm
salt		sq
vegetable shortening	40	gm
raisins	30	gm
caraway seeds	4	gm

Method

1. Sift the dry ingredients together and work in the shortening
2. Add the raisins and caraway seeds (both optional)
3. With the paddle on low speed, blend-in the milk to make a shaggy mass
4. Knead for 20 seconds on a floured surface.
5. Divide the dough into 400 gm round loaves. Put them on a sheet pan.
6. Dust the top of each loaf with flour. Press a cross into the top of each loaf with a sharp knife. Do not cut completely through the dough.
7. Bake the loaves at 220ºC for 30 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
8. Remove from the oven, dust with flour and allow to cool

Chef's Tip:

Milk with a dash of vinegar can replace the buttermilk if you are unable to get it

If you really want to get into the swing of things add a drop of green food colouring to the milk to colour the dough (but don't overdo the colour), definitely a case of a little being more.

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 17 March 2003