Irish Despite The Orange

It seems disrespectful to add anything orange to food as typically Irish as soda bread, but I confess that I, a daughter of the Auld Sod, did just that and on St. Patty's Day, no less!

I added orange peel to the traditional raisins and caraway seeds.

You see, Cookiecrumb and Cranky had gifted me with some of the wonderful navel oranges from their tree, and the peel of those oranges is as good as the insides. Preparing to start the soda bread, I stopped to peel an orange for snacking, and inspiration struck.

I used my zester to peel thin strips of the vibrant orange skin, chopped the strips into half inch pieces, and mixed them into the dough. The result was deeply fragrant bread dotted with sweet pockets of dark raisins, zingy spots of orange and just a hint of caraway under all that goodness.

I was wearing green and singing "Irish Eyes" as I committed this blasphemy - I hope that will compensate enough that my Irish ancestors will forgive me.

Irish Soda Bread with Orange Peel, adapted from Gourmet magazine, October 1991

4 cups bread flour (I used all-purpose unbleached and it was fine)
1 Tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (another time, I might add just a tad more)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins or dried currants, rinsed in hot water and patted dry
1 Tablespoon caraway seeds (a bit more of these wouldn't hurt, either, next time)
zest of one orange, orange part only, cut into thin strips of about 1/2 inch in length
2 cups buttermilk

Into a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and stir in the raisins, caraway seeds and orange peel. Add the buttermilk and stir the mixture until it forms a dough. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead briefly, about one minute.

Shape two equal round loaves out of the dough and place them on buttered parchment paper on a baking sheet. (You can omit the parchment, if you want, but it makes cleanup a lot easier). Cut an X 1/4 inch deep across the tops with a sharp knife and bake the loaves in the middle of a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer the loaves to a rack to cool.

The Payoff

I feel a little guilty. I was raised Catholic, so that's not surprising but, geez, all I did was pick up a sleepy young Englishwoman at the airport and give her a bed overnight, not nearly enough effort to deserve a gift of beautiful bread generously studded with raisins, moistly crumb-y in the center and flavored with spices.

Young Naomi has shared her mother Judy's recipe for the bread with us, first the official one that comes from some long-lost cookery book in England, then later her own tips: here goes!

Judy says: "Soak overnight 1 cup of leftover tea and 1 cup raisins (this bit is crucial for making the raisins really soft). Then add 1 egg, 2 cups of self-raising flour, spice and sugar to taste. Mix and scrape into small-ish loaf tin. Cook 300 degrees F for 1 hour."

Naomi adds: "I usually mix in a few more raisins, and sometimes some more tea, too, if I want a gooey consistency. I've found self-raising flour isn't always enough to make the bread rise, so often add a teaspoon of baking powder too. Usually just a couple of tablespoons max of sugar is sufficient. Normally I use just mixed spice, but for the one I made for you I didn't have any so instead combined some freshly ground all-spice, cloves and a dash of nutmeg. I find 1 hour is usually too long...instead I leave it in at a slightly higher heat (350) for 40 mins or so (check after 30).

Enjoy!"

I didn't feel so guilty that it kept me from gobbling up the lovely bread, of course! At this rate, I'm going to be meeting every flight from England, holding a sign that says "Bed and Breakfast in Return for Cherished Family Recipes."