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

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

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I had a very productive snow day… I made this amazing bread! 🙂 I was inspired to make it with my kids ever since I read this post from Quinn @Dad What’s 4 Dinner. I should have doubled the recipe as he suggested. It was beyond delicious.

I had delayed making it for such a long time, waiting for the perfect time to bake with both of my kids. On their second consecutive snow day, I decided it was the perfect time. What else did they have to do? Ironically, they weren’t really interested in my baking plans. 😦 As disappointed as I was, I really wanted to make it. What else did I have to do? 😉 and… In case you were wondering, yes, they were interested in eating it!

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour.com. I made the dough in my bread machine before rolling it out for the filling. I also used a proofing oven for the loaf to rise prior to baking. Fabulous.

Baking Time: 45 min
Total Time: 3 hrs 40 min

Yield: 1 loaf

For the Dough:

• 361 g all-purpose flour
• 46 g potato flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• 35 g dry milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 35 g granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 57 g butter (about 4 T)
• 227 g lukewarm water (about 1 cup)

For the Filling:

• 50 g granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 35 g raisins or currants
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg beaten with 14 g water (about 3 tsp water)

For the Streusel Topping:

• 28 g unsalted butter, cubed (about 2 T)
• 28 g granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 28 g all-purpose flour

1. Add the liquid ingredients and butter to a bread machine pan and top with dry ingredients. (If not using a bread machine, combine all of the dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mixing until the dough begins to come away from the sides of the bowl.)
2. Knead the dough with an electric mixer for 2 minutes; allow it to rest for 15 minutes, then continue kneading it for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until it’s smooth. If you’re kneading by hand, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface; knead it for 3 minutes; allow it to rest for 15 minutes, then continue kneading till smooth, an additional 8 to 10 minutes. *You can also simply knead the dough using the dough cycle of your bread machine.*
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl (if you’re not using your bread machine’s dough cycle), cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it aside to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; it’ll be puffy, if not doubled in bulk.
4. Transfer the dough to a rectangular piece of plastic wrap or a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into a long, thin rectangle, about 16″ x 8″.
5. To make the filling, combine the sugar, cinnamon, raisins or currants, and flour in a food processor (mini preferred) or blender, processing until the fruit is chopped.
6. Brush the dough with some of the egg/water, and pat the filling onto the dough. Reserve the egg wash for the streusel topping. 
7. Beginning with a short edge, roll the dough into a log.
8. Pinch the side seam and ends closed (to keep the filling from bubbling out), and place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. 
9. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour at room temperature or in a proofing oven, or until it’s crowned about 1″ over the rim of the pan. (Mine took 1 hour 15 minutes.) Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F, preferably on convection. 
10. In a small bowl or mini processor, combine the streusel ingredients, cutting in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. If you’re using a mini processor, watch carefully; streusel will go from crumbly to a cohesive mass in just a second or so.
11. Brush the loaf with some of the remaining beaten egg and add the streusel, using your fingers to gently apply it to the dough, being careful not to deflate the loaf.
12. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes, then tent the loaf lightly with aluminum foil and continue to bake 15 additional minutes.
13. Remove the loaf from the oven, and after about 5 minutes, gently remove it from the pan. Some of the streusel will fall off, but you can alleviate this by first loosening all around the edges of the loaf with a knife, then turning the pan on its side and gently pulling it away from the loaf. Streusel will continue to fall off as you maneuver the bread — we’ve never figured out how they make that stuff adhere so nicely on the store-bought loaves! — but you’ll still be left with some nice, sweet topping.

Note: For a deep-dark, moist, cinnamon swirl inside the bread: Blend together sugar, cinnamon, raisins or currants, and flour until smooth. The addition of raisins or currants adds moistness, as well as subtle flavor.

One Year Ago:

• Country Apple Fritter Bread

Two Years Ago:

• Mad Hungry Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Three Years Ago:

• Oatmeal Toasting & Sandwich Bread
• Healthy Morning Muffins
• Tate’s Banana Flaxseed Muffins

Four Years Ago:

• Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
• Whole Wheat Cinnamon Snacking Cake

Baked Spinach Rice

Yes! More baked rice! 🙂 SO so SO delicious!! This one is loaded with cheese. It is meant to be served as an indulgent side dish, but we ate it as a main dish with a green salad. I loved it. It had fabulous contrasting textures.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by David Tanis. This wonderful dish is an upgrade of one of his favorite family casseroles.

Yield: 6 servings

• 1 pound spinach (about 2 bunches), washed
• 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice, such as Carolina, Jasmine, or Basmati
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter, plus more to butter the baking dish
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 cup grated Gruyère
• ¼ cup currants or raisins
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped sage

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add spinach and wilt for 30 seconds. Remove with a wire mesh spider or tongs and rinse in a colander with cold water. Squeeze dry and chop roughly.
2. In the same pot, boil the rice for 10 minutes, keeping it slightly underdone. Drain and spread on a baking sheet to cool, then transfer to a large bowl.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection.
4. Butter a 2-quart soufflé dish (or other baking dish) and dust with about 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and add contents of skillet to rice.
6. Add remaining Parmesan to rice, along with the ricotta, Gruyère, currants, nutmeg, lemon zest, thyme and sage. Season lightly with salt and add pepper to taste.
7. Add chopped spinach and gently toss rice with hands or wooden spoons to distribute ingredients evenly.
8. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. (May be prepared up to this point several hours in advance of baking.)
9. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 minutes more, until top is browned.

One Year Ago:

• Pasta with  Yogurt & Caramelized Onions

Two Years Ago:

• Butternut Squash Basmati Rice
• Spinach, Swiss Chard, & Sweet Potato Gratin

Three Years Ago:

• Polenta Al Forno with Spinach, Ricotta & Fontina

Four Years Ago:

• Mushroom & Leek Bread Pudding
• Collard Greens with Dumplings

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

Skillet Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! We had our corned beef and cabbage over the weekend with friends, but I had to squeeze in a new soda bread recipe for the big day. I had such a hard time selecting one…  baking it in a skillet won. 🙂 Apparently authentic Irish soda bread doesn’t contain raisins, butter, or eggs… this version contains all of the above AND sugar. Still festive though! (…maybe just a little tastier… my husband says, “No one wants to eat it without all of that stuff!”) 🙂

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for half of the all purpose flour and omitted the caraway seeds. We cut it into wedges and ate it for breakfast slathered with butter; she recommended eating it with tart apples and aged cheddar cheese which would be a wonderful snack. The outside was crunchy and buttery; the inside moist and sweet. Nice!

Yield: 1 10-inch loaf

• unsalted butter for greasing pan plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, separated
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 ½ cups raisins or currants
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, optional
• good aged cheddar cheese, for serving
• tart apples, cut into slices, for serving
• butter, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (on convection). Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and line with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the raisins or currants and caraway seeds, if using.
5. Pour batter into skillet. Brush top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and firm to touch, about 45 minutes on convection or up to 1 hour in a standard oven. Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving with butter, cheddar and/or apples, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• Pull-Apart Irish Soda Bread

Two Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread