Traditional Irish Recipes
The Best Irish Soda Bread
6 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
Highly traditional and recommended option: Two tablespoons caraway seeds. Add
them to the dry ingredients and sprinkle some on the top when ready for oven
Preheat oven to 375
Add all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix very well Pour in all of
the buttermilk into the bowl at once and stir. Stir only until the dough barely
holds together. I mean barely!
Do this quickly too!
Divide the dough into two portions. Shape each quickly into a round. Quickly!
Cut a cross 2/3 down into the top of each loaf so that you can see the cut.
-The loaf should come apart about 1/2 inch. Paint the loaf over with buttermilk
being sure to get the bottom of the cross cut wet with it. Give the surface
of the loaf a bit of texture by cutting into it with a knife or fork if it is
too round and smooth. Let loafs rest for about ten minutes. Put into the oven-
the baking takes about 30-40 minutes.
The loaf is done when the buttermilk in the bottom of the cross is dry to the
touch. Do not handle or cut hot soda bread! Let it cool down on a rack if possible.
Wrap in newspaper to keep lightly warm.
Hazelnut Chocolate
Chip Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour, 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, 1/2
cup buttermilk, 1 large egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup semi sweet
or milk chocolate chips, 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees lightly butter a 9 inch diameter circle in the center
of the baking sheet. In a large bowl stir together the flour brown sugar baking
powder baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and distribute
them evenly over the flour mixture. With a pastry blender or two knives cut
in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl stir
together the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Add the buttermilk mixture to the
flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts.
The dough will be sticky. Spread the dough into an 8-inch diameter circle in
the center of the prepared baking sheet. Arrange additional hazelnuts around
the edge of the dough for garnish if desired. With a serrated knife cut into
8 wedges. Bake for 17-19 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a cake
tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove
the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Using a spatula transfer
the scones to the wire rack to cool. Recut into wedges if necessary. Serve warm
or cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Irish Coffee
Cake
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, 1/2 cup caster sugar, 1 cup all purpose flour,
1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsps instant coffee dissolved in 2 tbsps hot water, 2
eggs, Syrup: 2/3 cup strong coffee, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tbsps Irish whiskey, Topping:
2/3 cup whipped cream, 1 heaped tbsp confectioners sugar, 1 tbsp Irish whiskey,
chopped hazelnuts.
Instructions:
Butter an 8-inch ring pan and coat well with flour. In a bowl cream together
the butter
And the sugar then add the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour and baking powder
and fold in 2/3 of it then add the 2 tbsps strong coffee. Fold in the remainder
of the flour. Place in the prepared cake pan and bake in a pre-heated oven for
35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Test with a skewer and when done turn out onto
a wire rack to cool. To make the syrup heat sugar in coffee until it has all
dissolved then boil rap idly for one minute. Remove from the heat and beat in
the whiskey. Return the cooled cake to well washed pan and pour the syrup over
it. Leave it to soak for several hours. Beat up whipped cream with confectioners
sugar and whiskey. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and decorate with
cream and chopped hazelnut.
