Died and Gone To Heaven Irish Soda Bread Recipe
This is not your Mothers soda bread! It is dense, nutty, and has a wonderful buttermilk taste. I always make it for Christmas morning and of course St Patricks Day. This recipe has been adapted from The Bread Book by Ellen Foscue Johnson.
This is not your Mothers soda bread! It is dense, nutty, and has a wonderful buttermilk taste. I always make it for Christmas morning and of course St Patricks Day. This recipe has been adapted from The Bread Book by Ellen Foscue Johnson.
- Carbohydrate 730.99974 g
- Cholesterol 587.66 mg
- Fat 225.55324 g
- Fiber 35.1929006369934 g
- Protein 106.09585 g
- Saturated Fat 95.623972 g
- Serving Size 1 1 loaf (1522g)
- Sodium 8724.22 mg
- Sugar 695.806839363007 g
- Trans Fat 20.198212 g
- Calories 5190 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Put raisins in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
- Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.
- Cut butter into small pieces and mix into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or your fingers until it is course.
- Beat the egg until very frothy.
- Beat in the honey until well blended, then add the buttermilk.
- Drain the raisins well and add raisins and walnuts to flour.
- Toss to distribute evenly.
- Gradually pour the liquids in and mix with a large metal spoon so mixture is evenly moistened and you have a heavy, moist batter. Don't use too much liquid; you don't want a wet batter.
- Don't try to mix completely; it should be rough and lumpy.
- Grease a heavy loaf pan (original recipe calls for a large cast iron frying pan which also works well).
- Spoon batter into pan in clumps.
- Leave the top lumpy.
- Bake about an hour until the middle is set.
- If using a fry pan it will not take as long to bake.
Plump raisins must be soaked in boiling water before entering the dough to prevent the dried fruit from stealing essential moisture from the flour during baking. Traditional Irish soda bread relies on a rapid chemical reaction between acidic buttermilk and alkaline baking soda to generate carbon dioxide gas, which gives the dense crumb its necessary lift without commercial yeast. Cutting cold butter into the flour using fingers or a pastry blender creates small pockets of fat; as the loaf bakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, the water in that butter evaporates and leaves behind tender, flaky layers. Honey introduces both sweetness and hygroscopic properties, meaning its monosaccharides bind tightly to water molecules to keep the finished loaf from staling too quickly on the counter. Chopping walnuts adds structural integrity and contrasting texture while providing polyunsaturated fats that complement the rich dairy notes. Over-mixing the batter activates excessive gluten development in all-purpose flour, transforming a crumbly, rustic loaf into a tough, chewy brick. Leaving the batter intentionally rough and lumpy ensures the chemical leavening agents distribute evenly without collapsing the gas pockets. Cast iron skillets distribute radiant heat more aggressively than standard glass or ceramic loaf pans, which accelerates crust formation and shortens overall bake times.
