Irish Soda Bread

This week we are making Irish Soda Bread which can be found on page 214 in Baking with Julia.   I decided to make this bread on St. Patrick’s Day as I planned on cooking up a batch of homemade Vegetable Beef Soup and needed something else to go with it.  I also decided to make half the recipe as both I and my husband can’t really eat all this by ourselves.  

Reading through the recipe, I just knew it would be super easy to make.  And it was!  This recipe only requires about 5 minute’s prep time and very little effort.  How many recipes do that!

I did not buy buttermilk as I had my old standby in the refrigerator.  I always keep SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend on hand for recipes that call for it.  Buttermilk can be hard to find in the grocery store and I usually need a lot less than the quart size you must purchase.  This is a great alternative as it lets you make only what you need. It is very similar to nonfat dry milk.  Here is a picture of the container for reference.

 Once I had the dough mixed, it was quick to shape the loaf and get it in a stoneware pan.  I used a small round one and it fit perfectly.  I slashed the top as described in the recipe and placed it in my oven.  

Because I only make half a loaf, I needed to adjust my cooking time.  I set the timer on my over for 30 minutes just to be safe. If I needed a little more time, it would be easy to add. If you bake it too long, well we all know what happens then!  When the timer went off, I checked on the bread and decided it needed a little longer as it was not quite brown enough for me.  I added another 10 minutes and it was done.  

My husband loved this and it was so moist.  I had a small piece leftover for two days and it still tasted just a good.  I’m not sure why Julia said it would be as hard as a blarney stone because I did not experience that at all.   This recipe is truly a keeper and in the future I will try to be creative and add some additional surprises.  I like the idea of raisins for a sweeter loaf and also the cheese and herbs for a more savory experience.  

Happy Baking!

Karen

Rugelach

Good morning, everyone!

I was not able to complete the Chocolate Truffle tarts last month.  Too much going on.  I started the recipe but didn’t get very far. I decide to freeze the cookie crust for another time.  I will probably finish it this weekend.  

I am happy to report I made the Rugelach. I really haven’t decided if I will make this again.  It’s a great festive occasion sweet which would be great at Christmas. But, while not too difficult, it is a lot of work. There are numerous steps and for busy people this is just not practical to make during the week.

I am a big fan of anything with cream cheese so I really wanted to try this recipe.  I had to improvise.  I forgot about the levkar so I substituted apple butter in its place.   I have to say the cookies taste delicious anyway!  

Big Question! What is everyone doing with all these baked goods?  My husband, bless his heart, has decided to give up sweets for Lent!  I certainly can’t eat all this myself.  My sons are too far away to use as guinea pigs and I think my co-workers are Christmas goodied out.  If I eat all this myself, I will big as big as my house and never make it out alive!  It’s the one thing I did not consider when I started this adventure.  

At least this time, I had no problems with my mixer.  Everything went smoothly except I struggle with rolling out a square. I never can do it properly.  Mine were more like half moons!  

I had no problems with the making the dough itself.  This is the dough right out of the mixer and after shaping. I refrigerated it for a few hours and later Sunday evening, I rolled out the dough into the so called rectangles and filled with all the goodies.   I placed both rolls in my refrigerator to chill overnight.

Since I had to work Monday, I finished off the baking after I got home from work.  This part was pretty easy.  In no time, I had finished cookies.

If you are looking for a fancy treat to serve for a special occasion, this recipe from Baking with Julia, by Julia Child would be a good choice.  Just allow two days to go through all the preparation.  It can be found on page 325-327  of her aforementioned book. 

Happy Baking!