Homemade Irish Soda Bread!

Lyon Family’s Irish Soda Bread

Every year it is a tradition that my Irish family makes an Irish dinner on St. Patrick’s Day. Our Irish dinner consists of corn beef, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and, my favorite, Irish soda bread. This dinner has been passed down through my family many times starting with my great great grandmother.  The way we make the corn beef, cabbage and brussel sprouts has changed a lot over the years, but the Irish soda bread has not changed one bit.  Maybe that’s why it is my favorite.

             Irish Soda Bread is a very simple recipe that consists of raisins, flour, butter, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, caraway seeds, egg, and buttermilk. Mom learned to make it from my dad who learned by watching his mother make it when he was younger.  Because this bread reminds my dad of his childhood, it has now become a part of our childhood.

             I found it neat that when I asked my mom to write down the recipe, she had a hard time putting it into words because she had never looked at a recipe. I also find it cool that my mother was able to pass the tradition on to her side of the family. Even though my grandparents do not cook or bake very much, each year they look forward to our Irish dinner, so we make some extra for them.  Some years they come over and we eat it together. Although I still believe that my mom makes the best Irish soda bread, this year my sister and I will be the ones making the Irish soda bread so that we can continue the tradition! The recipe is as follows:

Lyon Family’s Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

¾ cup Raisins

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder

4 ½ cups Flour

1 ¾ cup Buttermilk

1 tsp. Salt

½ cup Sugar

1 tsp. Caraway Seeds

½ lb Butter

1 Beaten egg

Directions:

Wash raisins in hot water. Drain.

Mix together in large bowl flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt

Mix in raisins and caraway seeds

Cut in butter then add in egg and buttermilk

Shape into two loafs on a ungreased cookie sheet

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 mins until brown and sounds hollow when you tap on it.

Loafs should be 1 ½ inches thick when you shape them before baking.



- Dana Lyon