Today is St. Paddy's Day, a day known for drinking in America as well as Irish specialty treats. This past weekend I made an almost- traditional Irish Soda bread. Traditional Irish soda bread uses mostly whole grain wheat flour, baking soda (hence "soda bread"), buttermilk, and salt. If you get Irish Soda Bread from a bakery or buy it at the store, it most likely has lots of butter, raisins, and sugar, and is tailored to the American's palate rather than being traditional. I like to mesh the traditional with American, so I follow recipes with just a touch of butter and sugar, and add in raisins for good luck.
Here is a pretty good recipe I recommend trying for IRISH SODA BREAD:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or 1 1/2 cups milk with 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice added)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the raisins. Mix together buttermilk and butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and slowly pour in the liquid. Using your hands, mix together until combined (add more buttermilk if necessary).
Move dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough into a 7 inch round. Place on an oiled baking sheet and with a knife cut an cross on the top of the loaf.
Bake for about 40 - 50 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean or tap to see if it sounds hollow. Enjoy warm from the oven! Bread will get dry quickly, but it makes a great morning toast.
Reference: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RaisinSodaBread.html#ixzz1GrqvSuKQ
Along with Irish Soda bread, Americans generally consume Guinness, Bailey's, Corned Beef, and Irish Potatoes during this festive day. Here is a quick calorie overview of what those look like:
12 oz Guinness: 153 calories
1.5 oz (shot) Bailey's: ~150 calories
3 oz. corned beef: 210 calories, 15 g fat (5 g saturated), 960 mg sodium (40% DV), 15 g protein
1 slice traditional soda bread (~1.5 oz): 175 calories
1 irish potato candy: 60 calories, 2.5 g fat
I hope you enjoy your St. Paddy's Day and be sure to consume these "Irish" foods (& drink) in moderation!!!!!!!!
References:
calorie count
Bailey's website
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