Header image via Kayla at The Original Dish
This Wednesday marks St Patrick's Day 2021 and we wanted to celebrate with a delicious Irish inspired recipe. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. People would dance, drink and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. Saint Patrick, who lived during the 5th century, is the patron saint of Ireland and is their national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.
Soda bread is a staple for many Irish households - it is made using bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast to get it to rise. Another delicious Irish classic is bread pudding, so when we saw this delicious soda bread pudding recipe by Kayla Howey we just knew we had to give it a go! We've adapted the recipe a little to our own tastes, so here is what we did. We've included the details on how to make your own soda bread, but you could also use shop bought bread too.
Ingredients
Soda Bread:
- 450g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
Bread Pudding:
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 loaf Irish soda bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp sugar
- icing sugar to garnish
Method
Soda Bread:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda until well combined. Make a well in the centre, and add the buttermilk. Using your hands, mix the buttermilk into the dry ingredients until a ball of dough forms (the dough should be sticky and slightly clumpy).
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently shape it into a ball. Transfer it to a lightly floured baking tray. Flatten the dough into a 1½-inch-thick disk. Using a knife, cut an “X” across the top. Using the tip of the knife, prick a hole into each of the 4 sections of dough.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C. Bake for another 15 minutes. Transfer the bread to a cutting board, and let cool for 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
Bread Pudding:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the brown sugar, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the milk, vanilla, and salt, whisking until incorporated.
- Add the bread cubes and toss well. Pour into the prepared dish, spreading evenly. Submerge the bread and let soak for 1 hour.
- Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 15 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with whipped cream and garnish with a dusting of icing sugar.
Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit!