Eggnog Irish Soda Bread
Happy New Year, friends! I’m back, still trying to fix this place up, but it’s an improvement, no? I hear the search functionality is not operating as it should, so I appreciate any feedback you can give as I try to complete this overhaul and get everything in working order.
If I could just call a time-out, that would be awesome.
But we still have to eat. The week between Christmas and the New Year we traditionally live on leftovers – chunks of cheese and crackers from Christmas parties, chunks of cake and tins of cookies that take up the countertop for the entire month of December, ham and turkey and mincemeat in the fridge. And eggnog – every year I buy it thinking we should have some, and every year no one drinks it. So I use it up in waffles and scones, and it’s perfect for baking with, being essentially sweetened, spiced milk. But here it is January 1 and I still have 2L of the stuff. It’s a dairy emergency. And when I have dairy emergencies – too much milk or buttermilk or yogurt about to be tossed – I make Irish soda bread. It can be made sweet, with eggnog and currants or raisins for breakfast, or savoury, with herbs and grated cheese, to perch on the side of a bowl of soup or chili, and it’s a welcome vehicle for mopping when it’s 20 below.
It’s also just fine on its own, plain, for slathering with butter and jam. And there’s no wait for it to rise – essentially it’s a giant scone, which you mix and bake and then cut into wedges.
It has a crunchy crust and a dense, moist crumb, and anyone can make a loaf – it seemed the perfect thing to start the year off with. And good news! As I sort out the glitches here, as we complete the overhaul. I’m going to start this newly made-over site the same way it began – with a post a day for a year. I need to bring myself back to the place I love most.
Here’s to a delicious 2016! I’m so glad you’re still here.
Eggnog Irish Soda Bread
AuthorJulie
Preheat the oven to 425?F.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and blend it in with a pastry cutter, fork or your fingertips until it’s kind of rubbly, as if you were making pastry. Add the currants or raisins and toss to combine.
In a small bowl (or glass measuring cup), stir together the eggnog (or buttermilk) and egg with a fork. Add to the flour mixture and stir until you have a sticky dough; turn out onto a floured countertop and knead once or twice, then shape into a rough ball and place on a parchment-lined sheet or in a cast-iron skillet. Cut an X on the top with a sharp knife.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until deep golden, springy to the touch, and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. (If it’s getting too dark, cover the loaf with a piece of foil while it’s in the oven.) Cool on a wire rack, then cut into wedges to serve while it’s still warm.
Serves 8-10.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425?F.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and blend it in with a pastry cutter, fork or your fingertips until it’s kind of rubbly, as if you were making pastry. Add the currants or raisins and toss to combine.
In a small bowl (or glass measuring cup), stir together the eggnog (or buttermilk) and egg with a fork. Add to the flour mixture and stir until you have a sticky dough; turn out onto a floured countertop and knead once or twice, then shape into a rough ball and place on a parchment-lined sheet or in a cast-iron skillet. Cut an X on the top with a sharp knife.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until deep golden, springy to the touch, and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. (If it’s getting too dark, cover the loaf with a piece of foil while it’s in the oven.) Cool on a wire rack, then cut into wedges to serve while it’s still warm.
Serves 8-10.
Every day?! Awesome! I missed you.
Me too!
I have both left over buttermilk and eggnog, am going to make this today so I don’t have to dump them, how smart, thank you and glad your back at it with the blogging….thanks again for all your hard work, I know blogging and pictures isn’t as easy as everyone thinks….
Ha – it’s true! But it is fun 🙂
I’ve missed you so.
This recipe looks fabulous… and timely. We do drink a LOT of eggnog: eggnog lattes are the best. But the return to heavier schedules in January means fewer people to help drink it, and I know we’ll love this soda bread. (I’ve also made eggnog muffins- a big hit!- and your eggnog french toast… yum)
Thanks, Julie.
It’s funny – I rarely drink it, but love using it in baking! Love the built-in sweetness + spice.
Yay! I LOVED when you wrote here everyday. I got a glimpse into the way your mind works with food and learned so much about using what you have on hand and using up leftovers. So perfect that that’s what this first post is about. Happy New Year to you!
Awesome – I’m so glad to hear it!
All good things in 2016!
Where’s the eggnog? Do you need to add vinegar for the soda
Where else would I be?? This looks SO good.