Irish Soda Bread – Better Than a Pot of Gold ..

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with a loaf or two of Irish soda bread? If made correctly, this is one of the best quick breads (those leavened without yeast) you’ll ever have. Subtly sweet, with a light, tender crumb, and not at all dry. 

Done wrong, it’s worse than not having any at all. I’ve had some that were not only dry and crumbly, but had such a strong chemical aftertaste, I wondered if I was being poisoned. Okay, so I’m a bit paranoid, but the point is, this is not one of those recipes loaded with spoonfuls of baking powder and soda.

We’re using just enough soda to react with the acid in the buttermilk, and then hedging our bets with a teaspoon of baking powder. That’s really all you need. Speaking of buttermilk, this is one of those recipes, where you can substitute with your own homemade equivalent. Just use the same amount of whole milk, but add 1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons, of either lemon juice or white vinegar to the wet ingredients. It’s the tanginess and acid we need, so that will work just about the same.

By the way, if you’re not into the more breakfasty version I did here, this is very simple to convert into a savory bread. Leave out the dried fruit, maybe cut down the honey a little, and you’ll have something wonderful to serve with soups and stews. I hope you give this a try very soon. Enjoy!

Makes 2 loaves of Irish Soda Bread:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal or regular rolled oats

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (make sure it’s fresh)

1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure it’s fresh)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cubed

2 or 3 tablespoons honey

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1 large egg

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 cup dried currants

1/3 cup gold raisins

Buckwheat Pancakes – Our Gang Loved Them

There’s nothing like a Little Rascals reference to make sure everyone knows you’re at least 50, but I just couldn't help it. 

I decided to do this video for buckwheat pancakes for a few reasons: I get lots of requests for anything breakfast; I’m trying to cook with more whole grains (see age reference above); and I heard someone say it’s almost impossible to make a great pancake using 100% buckwheat flour.

Conventional pancake wisdom says you need to cut this nutty, earthy flour with regular flour to lighten the texture and taste, but I’m happy to report that’s not true. It took a few days of experimenting, but I was really pleased with how these came out.

As I mentioned in the video, you can probably make this using regular milk, but I highly recommend using the buttermilk. Not only does its natural acidity add a nice tanginess to the flavor, it also reacts with the soda to create bubbles, which really helps the texture.

Sure these are gluten-free, high-fiber, and just generally more nutritious than something made with white flour, but that’s not why you should make them. You should try these because they're just really good pancakes. I hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredient for 8-10 small buckwheat pancakes:

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (always shake the container first)

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

unsalted butter to grease pan, and top pancakes