As most of you know, I grew up in a Norwegian household. My parents may have lived in the United States, but their food was definitely in Norway. My parents never made traditional Irish food and never celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. My first experience with a Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner was at Grandma and Grandpa Keller’s home. The flavors were very familiar. Norwegians eat a lot of boiled dinners, and cabbage is almost a constant. And then there’s the Irish Soda Bread…yum!!! Quite a few Scandinavian breads include caraway seed and raisins, one of my favorite flavor combinations! Why my parents never “ventured” into the world of Irish food, I have no idea. It would have been the most natural thing in the world. But that’s how it was. Larry loves a Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, and of course, a true Keller must always have a brand-new bottle of the most potent horseradish he can find to go with it! I’m not a big fan of foods that you can FEEL through your nostrils when you bite into them, so a small dab of mustard works best for me. As delicious as this meal is, no St. Patrick’s Day dinner would be complete without Irish Soda Bread! I usually make it within 2 hours of when we’re going to sit down, so the soda bread is still warm. It will crumble more when it’s warm, but I think it’s well worth it! If you want prettier-looking wedges, the bread will hold together better the cooler it gets. My neighbor swears by Irish butter. Something to do with grass-fed cows? I haven’t tried it, but maybe that’s the way to go on St. Patrick’s Day? And so, to honor this day and the Irish in all of us, I wanted to share my go-to Irish Soda bread recipe. It’s super easy and tastes great! This recipe makes 1 loaf, but I always double it and make 2. Sometimes we share the second one with a neighbor, and sometimes it goes in the freezer to be warmed up another day. Warm Irish Soda bread with butter or marmalade is especially delicious alongside your first cup of coffee or tea in the morning!

Marilyn O’Reilly’s Irish Soda Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 cup)

2 tablespoons caraway seeds, optional

1 cup raisins

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Directions

1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt and stir well to mix.
3. Add the butter and rub in until the butter disappears into the dry ingredients.
4. Stir in the caraway seeds and the raisins.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together and mix them into the dough mixture.
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, flour your hands, then fold the dough over itself several times to shape it into a round loaf. Transfer the loaf to a cookie sheet covered with parchment and cut a cross in the top. I sprinkle some flour over my knife before I make the cuts.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes more, until golden brown and a toothpick plunged into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool the soda bread on a rack and serve it with plenty of sweet butter and bitter orange marmalade. Sláinte!

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