Irish Ale Bread with Caraway & Herbs

Hope everyone had a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Other than wearing green, we typically celebrate the holiday by having a festive meal. 🙂

This year, instead of making a new soda bread, I made this Irish version of beer bread. I loved the caraway seeds (which I also love in soda bread) and the flecks of green from the fresh herbs in the dough.

We ate it for dinner with shepherd’s chicken pot pie, roasted asparagus, and green salad. It would also be a perfect accompaniment to a traditional celebratory corned beef and cabbage meal.

The recipe was adapted from 177milkstreet.com. I modified the baking time to bake the loaf in a pullman loaf pan in a convection oven. The bread was delicious with and without salted butter.

Yield: one Pullman loaf or one 9-inch loaf

• 260 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 60 g (1/2 cup) cake flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 T caraway seeds, coarsely ground in a spice grinder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 T honey
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) salted butter, melted, divided
• 12 ounce bottle or can Irish lager, such as Harp

1. Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle position. (I used the convection setting.)
2. Mist a Pullman loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, whisk both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, caraway, salt and pepper.
4. Add the dill and chives, then toss well.
5. Drizzle in the honey and 4 tablespoons of melted butter, then add the beer and whisk gently just until evenly moistened; do not over mix. The batter will be thick.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Brush the top with 1 tablespoon of the remaining melted butter.
7. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, 25 minutes in a Pullman pan on convection, or up to 40 to 45 minutes in a 9-inch pan in a standard oven.
8. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter.
9. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Turn the loaf right side up and cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.

Tip: Don’t slice the bread while it’s warm. Like all quick breads, this loaf slices more easily and cleanly at room temperature. Use a serrated knife and a sawing motion.

Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

My kids ate this tender and delicious soda bread with their bowl of celebratory Lucky Charms for breakfast this morning. 😉 It was also wonderful on its own with and without a little butter and jam. It could be warmed and served with dinner as well.

The recipe was adapted from Kathleen’s Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton’s Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins and Breads by Kathleen King, the founder of Tate’s Bake Shop. I incorporated whole wheat pastry flour, unsalted butter, coarse salt and modified the baking time for a convection oven. My husband thought that it may be the best version I’ve ever made. Great.

Yield: two 7 to 8-inch round loaves

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 T granulated sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• 8 T (1/2 cup or 1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 to 3 T caraway seeds, to taste
• 2 cups buttermilk (I used low-fat)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
4. Add the raisins and caraway seeds and toss lightly.
5. Add buttermilk and mix with a fork until all dry ingredients are moistened. (The dough will be very soft and wet.)
6. Form the dough into a ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured board or counter. Knead for about 30 seconds or until the dough is smooth.
7. Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape into balls.
8. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut and “X” on top of each loaf about 1/4-inch deep.
9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a convection oven, or up to 50 minutes in a standard oven, or until crusty and golden. (I baked my loaves on convection for 37 minutes.)

Irish Soda Scones with Orange Glaze

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I like to try a new version of soda bread as part of our celebration. 🙂 This version was great- light and fluffy with sweetness from the glaze. Everyone really enjoyed them.

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Living. I used raisins instead of currants, reduced the size and baking time, and made half of the batch with caraway seeds (for me) and half of the batch without seeds (kids!). We ate them for breakfast but they would be wonderful with a cup of afternoon tea as well.

Yield: 18 to 20 scones

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt.
3. Cut butter into small pieces; work into flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until dough resembles coarse meal.
4. Add currants/raisins, caraway seeds, and buttermilk; stir until just combined.
5. Using a large cookie scoop, scoop mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced 3 inches apart.
6. Bake until bottoms are golden, about 12 minutes.
7. Let cool completely on baking sheet.
8. Meanwhile, combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, and orange zest. Drizzle over scones; serve.

One Year Ago: Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Two Years Ago: Irish Soda Bread Buns

Three Years Ago: Skillet Irish Soda Bread

Four Years Ago:

• Pull-Apart Irish Soda Bread
• Bouchon Bakery Shortbread

Five Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
• St. Patrick’s Day Oatmeal Shortbread

Cauliflower Tagine

This dish was the perfect way to celebrate my beautiful CSA cauliflower. Although the base of this tagine was a bit spicy, the cauliflower and cheesy breadcrumb topping offset the spiciness and created a perfect balance. Because I didn’t have the Tunisian spice blend, Tabil, on hand, I was able to create the spice blend myself. The spiciness in the final dish could be easily modified by adjusting the amount of red pepper flakes in the spice blend.

The tagine recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. I reduced the amount of olive oil to lighten the recipe. I also included a leek as well as green and yellow bell peppers from my CSA share. The spice blend recipe was adapted from Epicurious.com. It was a full-flavored and fabulous vegetarian casserole.

For the Tabil Spice Blend:

Yield: about 3 tablespoons

• 1 1/2 T coriander seeds
• 2 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 T caraway seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Finely grind all ingredients in a spice mill.

Note: The remaining spice blend can be reserved in an airtight container at room temperature.

For the Tagine:

Yield: Serves 6

• 8 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, cut into half moons and rinsed
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons Tabil (recipe above)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2-pounds cauliflower (about 1 to 1 1/2 heads), cored and cut into 2-inch florets
• 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 3 ounces, 1 cup,  Gruyère cheese, shredded
• 5 large eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 400°, preferably on convection.
2. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and leek and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, bell pepper, paprika, Tabil, tomato paste and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pepper softens, about 7 minutes.
5. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and water and simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
6. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the cauliflower until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Spread the cauliflower in the baking dish.
7. In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with the Gruyère and season with salt and pepper.
8. Stir in the beaten eggs; spread the mixture over the cauliflower.
9. Cover with foil and bake in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbling around the edges.
10. Uncover and bake for about 15 minutes longer, until browned and crisp on top.
11. Let the tagine stand for 10 minutes before serving.

One Year Ago:

• Fried Eggs with Greens & Mushrooms
• Arugula Salad with Corn & Burrata

Two Years Ago:

• Simple Caesar Salad
• Clams Casino #2

Three Years Ago:

• Roasted Zucchini with Thyme

Four Years Ago:

• Warm Lentil Salad with Seared Tuna & Fresh Herb Vinaigrette
• French Green Lentil & Beet Salad with Orange-Mustard Vinaigrette

Five Years Ago:

• Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto
• Pad See Ew

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Soda bread is an essential start of the celebration in our house. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour. I loved the muffin adaptation- and the coarse sugar topping. I weighed the dry ingredients, reduced the baking time, and used turbinado sugar for the topping. Yummy.

• 6 1/4 oz (177 g, 1 1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 oz (85 g, , 3/4 cup) white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/3 cup (2 5/8 oz) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups currants (first choice) or raisins
• 1/2 to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, to taste
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (8 oz, 227 g) buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream
• 6 tablespoons (3 oz, 85 g) butter, melted; or 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• turbinado sugar, for topping
• butter and/or jam, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F, preferably on convection. Lightly grease a standard muffin pan with cooking oil spray; or line with papers, and grease the papers.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants or raisins, and caraway seeds.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk (or equivalent) and melted butter (or equivalent).
4. Quickly and gently combine the dry and wet ingredients; honestly, this won’t take more than a few stirs with a bowl scraper or large spoon. As soon as everything is evenly moistened, quit; further stirring will cause the muffins to be tough.
5. Using a cookie scoop, distribute the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups about 3/4 full; the stiff batter will look mounded in the cups.
6. Top with turbinado sugar, if desired.
7. Bake the muffins for 14-15 minutes on convection, or up to 20 minutes in a standard oven, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove them from the oven.
8. Tip the muffins in the pan, so their bottoms don’t get soggy. Wait 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a rack to cool.
9. Serve them plain, or with butter and/or jam.

One Year Ago:

• Irish Soda Bread Buns

Two Years Ago:

• Skillet Irish Soda Bread

Three Years Ago:

• Pull-Apart Irish Soda Bread

Four Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

German Potato Salad with Dill

I make potato salad just for my husband who would love to eat potatoes in some form on a daily basis. I often say that I really could give or take a potato… but… I’ll have to admit that this potato salad was quite tasty! The dressing was really delicious. It’s a perfect summer side.

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit, contributed by Alison Roman. I used baby Yukon gold potatoes and cut them after cooking so that they would take on less water. We ate it with Pasta Salad with Peas and Summer Beans and Grilled Salmon and Bacon Sandwiches for our Memorial Day cookout. Delicious.

Yield: Serves 6

• 2 pounds small waxy potatoes, scrubbed clean (I used baby Yukon golds)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 5 scallions, white and green sections, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted (directions below)

1. Cover potatoes with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender (about 10-12 minutes); drain, cut in half, and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and mix in vinegar.
4. Add to potatoes along with scallions, and dill, and toss, crushing potatoes slightly; season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the caraway seeds to the remaining dressing in the pan. Heat gently until fragrant and add to the potato mixture. Mix gently.
6. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Arugula, & Garlic Yogurt

Two Years Ago:

• Mustard-Herb Potato Salad

Three Years Ago:

• Perfect Coleslaw

Irish Soda Bread Buns

Just when I thought that I was running out of variations of soda bread to make for St. Patrick’s Day, I found this new one in the New York Times. 🙂 The genius idea from Melissa Clark was to bake the dough in small buns to maximize the amount of the fabulously crunchy outer crust. Yum!

I weighed the dry ingredients, used raisins instead of currants, and, despite pleas from my kids, included the caraway seeds. (I love them!) Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Yield: 8 buns

• 3 T unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 155 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/4 cups), more as needed
• 95 grams whole wheat pastry flour (3/4 cup)
• 55 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
• 7 grams baking powder (1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 5 grams coarse salt (1 teaspoon)
• 5 grams baking soda (3/4 teaspoon)
• ⅔ cup buttermilk, more for brushing
• 1 large egg
• 90 grams dried currants or raisins (about 2/3 cup)
• 8 grams caraway seeds (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
3. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs.
4. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk and egg. Stir wet mixture into dry one until they just form a moist dough.
5. Stir in raisins/currants and caraway seeds.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (I lightly floured a piece of parchment paper to minimize the mess.)
7. Shape into a 7-inch round about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges.
8. Using lightly floured hands, roll each wedge into a ball and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
9. Using kitchen shears, snip a small “x” into the top of each bun. (You can also use a knife.)
10. Brush tops with a little buttermilk, and dust lightly with flour.
11. Transfer baking sheet to oven. Bake until buns are golden brown and firm, 20 to 25 minutes. (I baked mine for 22 minutes on convection.)
12. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

One Year Ago:

• Skillet Irish Soda Bread

Two Years Ago:

• Pull-Apart Irish Soda Bread

Three Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
• St. Patrick’s Day Oatmeal Shortbread