My husband’s family is 100% Irish so I went searching for the perfect Irish Soda Bread recipe to try this year. He doesn’t really come from a family of cooks, so this proved to be a daunting task. My husband’s second cousins came directly from Ireland so I figured I had it made with that part of the family. But sadly, no one had a recipe… not even one. Isn’t that just crazy? An Irish family without an authentic Irish Soda Bread family recipe. Bummer. Lesson learned here: write down your family recipes and make sure your kids get their hands on them. They’re treasures to be remembered and passed along!
Lucky me, I’ve had this Breakfast Irish Soda Bread recipe sitting in my collection of recipes for a long time.
How to make Breakfast Irish Soda Bread:
The recipe begins in a food processor. Dry ingredients whirred together with butter and then dumped into a bowl to mix with buttermilk, eggs and the dried fruit.
The dough is then dumped onto a floured surface, kneaded a bit and then divided in two.
The two halves are then shaped into two round loaves.
The bread bakes to a deep, golden brown- a crispy crust and a tender interior. Unlike some other breads, you can slice into this one immediately and sample the goods. The bread itself isn’t all that sweet… the sweetness comes from the delicious addition of golden raisins and dried cherries. It’s a bread with a tender crumb. I don’t find it dry at all, and it’s especially good when it’s warm. You might also like this recipe for Irish Soda Bread Muffins. And I’ve been eyeing this traditional Irish Beef and Guinness Stew too!
