New Lebanon, N.Y.— My family loves St. Patrick’s Day. My husband and I both have a kiss of Irish in us. For our annual celebration, we wear green and eat corned beef and cabbage. Every year, all of our kids come home for a big St. Paddy’s Day feast. I slow cook the corned beef in the crock pot with beer, spices, onions, and cabbage. I boil the potatoes and carrots on the stove. We buy the stout from the package store, and I bake to-die-for soda bread. My soda bread recipe was handed down to me from my mother-in-law, Kay Ten Kraft, and it is the very best soda bread there is and probably ever was. Once you try this recipe, you’ll never buy store-bought soda bread again!
Soda Bread
3.5 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs, beaten, plus extra for glaze
3/4 cup currants or raisins
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Combine with whisk or fork, and create a well.
Add beaten eggs and yogurt to a small bowl. Mix with a spoon.
Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients well. Mix well with a spoon.
Add currants/raisins and caraway seeds. Mix with a spoon.
Shape batter into a round and place into a 9″ springform pan.
Dust with flour, and cut a crisscross on top of the round.
Brush surface with beaten egg.
Bake for 50 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.
Serve warm or
Tips:
If serving with corned beef and cabbage, serve with butter.
If serving with a tea party, serve with cream and jam.
Have it toasted with butter for an extra special treat.
Side note:
This is a recipe for American-Irish soda bread. Soda bread served in Ireland does not have caraway seeds and raisins in it.
