Uhmmm-Yum!  Traditional Irish Soda Bread.     The perfect accompaniment to your St Patrick's Day Meal!

I lived an worked in Ireland for a few years and saw a great change in the Irish culinary attitude, due in main to the membership of the European Union. Travel on the continent, and the influx of people from many different countries, led to an explosion of different cultural gastronomic delights. Even the small town I lived and worked in had one of the best Indian restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of dining at - and there've been a few!

 But on food item that still holds sway in the country is the traditional brown soda bread. This is how I was taught to make it, and it's perfect for St. Patrick's Day, whether you're going the whole way and having an Irish stew, or just enjoying slathering a home made jam on the bread as a simple tea.

Irish Brown Soda Bread:

250g wholemeal flour (sometimes known as wholewheat or brown flour)

100g plain flour

50g porridge oats

1 level tsp alt

1 heaped tsp of bread soda  (I sometimes used baking soda as a substitute)

200 -250 ml buttermilk (you can add a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to fresh milk if you don't have buttermilk!)

1) Preheat oven to 210C (approx 375 on most Canadian ovens)

2)Put wholemeal flour, oats, and sugar into a bowl, sieve in the white flour, salt & soda.

3) Mix well, using a wooden spoon or your hands.

4)Add buttermilk slowly and until a dough is formed. You may not use all the buttermilk.

5) You want a dough that is not very sticky and that you can form into a ball.

6) place on a floured surface and knead gently for a couple of minutes.

7)Form into a ball again, place on a greased, floured baking sheet, and press gently to flatten just a little into a round shape. 

8) brush lightly with milk, then with a sharp knife, cut the traditional cross deeply into the dough. Some people like to cut right through.

(9) Bake for about35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy the lovely scent of baking bread! 

Your soda bread is done when it looks risen and sounds a bit hollow when you tap the bottom.

Put on your table on a wooden bread board with a sharp knife. Cut slices as needed, slather them with butter for a stew or butter and jam for an afternoon treat! Enjoy!

And for a bit of Irish atmosphere, my Irish detective novel, Winters &Somers, is on a fantastic 99c sale at Smashwords from now until the 18th of March as a St Patrick's Day special. The Smashwords coupon code is MT29A and the link is https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/444879 if you want to take a peek!