Ingredients
4 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup currants
Directions
Cut this crusty bread in wedges to serve. Add two teaspoons grate
lemon peel to complement the flavor of the currants.
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cut in the butter
with a pastry blender or work it in with your finger. Mix the egg and
buttermilk together and then add this mixture to the dry ingredients.
Stir until well blended. Add the currants and stir the mixture well.
Turn out on a floured surface and knead gently for 3 minutes or until
the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into two pieces, shaping each
into a round loaf.
Place each in a greased 8 inch cake or pie pan,pressing it down until
the dough fills the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut a 1/2 inch deep
cross on top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for about
40 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when you thump it. Turn
out on a wire rack to cool. Do not cut for about 4 hours. Makes 2
loaves.
Origin: Hearth and Home Companion Shared by: Sharon Stevens
Servings: 2 servings
Saint Patrick's Day Irish Soda Bread Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Beverages; Bread; Breads
The History of Recipes
We can follow the history of meal recipes way back into distant history, at least as far back as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and maybe further still. In practice though, mostly, these early cook books were just very simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered, according to academics are some stone tablets in Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel blissful. Progressing into The time of the roman empire 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled a collection of documents detailing recipes cooked by wealthy Romans. In his works, Apicius recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into appetizers, main meal and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. Additionally, he tells us how the Roman chefs were skilled in the use of many spices, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens for example basil, rue and parsley. Closer to modern times, there were some interesting books from the 1300s : one book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary named `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, these two books have no connection with the curry that appears on menues today, but instead accounts of the types of meals served to the upper classes of the period. Later, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods, spices and herbs from the holy land, including spices such as parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new culinary ideas created an explosion in manuscripts on food, some of which are kept safe in private cookery archives. During the succeeding few centuries, the upper classes strove to offer the best banquets, and consequentially chefs and their collection of recipes were much in demand. However, it was during the 19th century that formal cookery and recipe publications became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to collating, testing, and recording recipes of the day. By the time we get to the twentieth century, cookery books are greatly in demand due to better eduction, more spare time and having more money. |
We hope you enjoy this Saint Patrick's Day Irish Soda Bread recipe.
