Get Your Irish On, With Soda Bread

Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. So we should eat like we’re Irish, too.

To compliment your cabbage, pot roast, carrots and potatoes, Lakewood Patch is sharing a fabulous, family recipe.

Celebrate your St. Patrick’s Day meal with our soda bread recipe  — provided by my wonderful mother-in-law Katie Flamos (she married a Greek man, but she’s as Irish as perfect soda bread, I promise).

Slåinte!

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup Zante currants

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

2 cups buttermilk

1 egg, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Thoroughly mix first five ingredients in a large bowl, stir in currants and caraway, add buttermilk. Stir, first with wooden spoon, and then, when the dough gets too stiff, with hands, to make sticky dough.

Turnout dough onto a well-floured surface and knead lightly 

about 10 times with well-floured hands. Cut off a small piece of dough and save for stem. Shape remaining dough into 3 balls and place in shamrock shape on a lightly greased baking sheet. Shape small piece of dough into a stem, put in place and pinch into the large balls. Brush loaf with egg. With a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch-deep slash down the center of each ball of dough. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden.

Then, enjoy!