Irish Soda Bread: Rose's Bread Bible Bakers
Monday, October 31, 2016 at 5:47PM 
Irish Soda Bread 'The Bread Bible'
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I haven't been around much, my Dad passed away in October and I'm feeling sad. I didn't really want to bake but it has helped having something to do, even though I had lots of "family food memory" tears from the first scoop of flour.
Ha, ha my Aunty Clare would not have been happy I didn't have any whiskey in the pantry, as Aunty Clare did believe whiskey made everything better. However, I did have a bottle of Irish Whiskey liqueur so I could go ahead and bake Rose Levy Beranbaum's rather special version of 'Irish Soda Bread'.
Not a strong tipple that puts hairs on your chest but rather a gentler caramel, butterscotch Irish Whiskey concoction. I love it!! It's whiskey dessert in a bottle.
My step son is living and working in Dublin at the moment and he tells me soda bread is common place and known simply as "brown bread'.
Daniel and his lovely Irish girlfriend Emer... Galway Ireland
Rose's deluxe version of Irish soda bread starts off with soaking raisins in *Irish whiskey (for me the liqueur) for at least 30 minutes.
I've used Australian raisins from the Walthcross and Lexia grape varietals, they are flattish, moist and sweet with a distinct muscat flavour.
Next wholemeal flour, white flour, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) are stirred together.
Butter is then rubbed in... Australians will be familiar with this method we usually use for scones.
The whiskey plumped raisins are added and then buttermilk is stirred in.
Shaped into a round loaf, a cross was cut in the top and the Irish soda bread was in baked in a preheated oven until golden.
There was an option to make to whiskey butter with the soaking liquid from the raisins, sounded delicious but since I was serving with whiskey I didn't make it this time around.
I liked the soda bread best warm, the texture is robust but not heavy and definitely suited to a swoop of butter whether that be Kerry Gold or Rose's recipe for whiskey butter.
A quick, easy and tasty bake.
*Note I'd swap the whiskey out for the same volume of strongly brewed black tea for the raisin soaking liquid if I needed to go alcohol free.
Oh, and congratulation wishes to Emer who graduated this week!!
Happy Baking xx
Today has been one of the 'Rose's Bread Bible Bakers' bakes where a group of fabulous bakers get together and bake from the pages of 'The Bread Bible'.
The Bread Bible
You might also be interested in a recipe for Half a Grasshopper Pie
Reader Comments (6)
Well done! It looks gorgeous. I'm not a fan of whiskey so this Irish whiskey liqueur sounds intriguing. Danial is so cute with his Irish lass.
Thank you Vicki. I don't have "whiskey loving" constitution that Aunty Clare did so the liqueur being less potent is more appealing. It would make a great ice-cream base I'm sure and I will make Rose's whiskey butter with it next time around. ps ahhh ha ha Dan and Emer are cute :)
what a beautiful posting and photos. so very sorry to hear about your dad.
Thank you Rose, Dad will be very much missed … passionate about life he loved food, especially baked goods :) With Daniel in Dublin it was lovely having your Irish Soda Bread recipe to bake… a connection across the way.
Looks absolutely scrumptious! That whiskey is good? I have to try! Lovely pic of Dan & Emer.
Thank you Faithy, the whiskey liqueur is good…. 'The Dubliner' produce a normal whiskey 40% and the one I used the liqueur which isn't as strong 30% with lots of caramel/butterscotch flavour. Would be good in whipped cream, panna cotta, ice cream, truffles and macerating any fruit. Dan & Emer look so lovely together :)