Miracle found in the yard this morning!
So I awoke this morning craving a piece of perfect 12 grain toast with the best Bitter Orange Marmalade! Instead, I became compelled to do the obvious – invest in Irish Soda Bread. In Florida earlier this week, as I was typically devouring the stories in the NYT Dining Section, I became intrigued with Melissa Clark’s recipe for “Sugar Added, Fairies Optional, Soda Bread Buns”. Today, I made the following adaptation:
These don’t really qualify as traditional but, they’re definitely not scones.
MY IRISH SODA BUNS – adapted from Melissa Clark
3 tblsp unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
155 grams all purpose flour, more as needed
95 grams whole wheat pastry flour
55 grams sugar
7 grams baking powder
5 grams salt
5 grams baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk, more for brushing
1 large egg
90 grams dried cranberries
90 grams finely chopped crystallized ginger
turbinado sugar for sprinkling
- heat oven to 375F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside.
- in the bowl of the food processor, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt by pulsing a few times.
- add butter cubes and pulse until coarse crumbs form,
- in a small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk
- add wet ingredients to dry and pulse just until the dough comes together
- turn out onto a lightly floured surface, add ginger and cranberries and lightly knead until incorporated
- with a dough cutter, cut the dough into 6 even pieces, roll into rolls and place on baking sheet
- brush with buttermilk, sprinkle lightly with flour and sprinkle with turbinado sugar
- bake for 20 minutes or until nicely browned and firmed to touch; cool for 10 minutes before serving
serve with the absolute best sweet Irish butter you can find, a little drizzle of my Welsh Heather Honey and a spot of strong tea ENJOY!!!!!
I was out celebrating the sunshine this morning with my camera. The cruelty that is cold March air is still held tight, but I was out there anyway. Here are the little gifts of Mother Nature today:
Promises:
The Irish are a wonderful people to study. There’s is a land of the haunting harp, the jig, much laughter and song, beautiful red haired maidens and lads, much brooding poetry, and beautiful moors, glens, hills, dales and cliffs. So much to celebrate! There is really a lot of beautiful Irish poetry, some of which we can celebrate today. Here is a little piece by Yeats that I like:
Song of Wandering Aengus:
though I am old and wandering
through hollowlands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
and kiss her lips and take her hands;
and walk among long dappled grass,
and pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
The soul of the Irish is at once haunting and happy. I love the beauty of the harp and the lilt of the Irish voices. My wish for you today: to celebrate all of the best of Irish traits and help the fairies and leprechauns to sprinkle the best of the Irish spirit across the lands!
Robin Convention!
P.S. Ryan having scones today in Dublin – I think mine look better, sorry!
