2017 Cookbook Challenge Week 11 - Irish Soda Bread
Week 11 was St. Patrick's week, so I decided to make Irish Soda Bread, from the cookbook "The Best International Recipe" by Cooks Illustrated. This cookbook is not a vintage or retro cookbook, so doesn't exactly fit in with my cookbook challenge, but the "Best Recipe" series is one of my favorites. In this series of cookbooks, the creators of the book, test a number of recipes for the same item and then create the best version. They often include information about why they did what they did, in a particular recipe, which is very interesting. Almost anything I've ever made from these books has been fabulous, so I figured their recipe for Irish Soda Bread would be good.
The dough was dry and slightly crumbly and only required a small amount of kneading. The loaf was hand-formed and baked on a cookie sheet. Once it came out of oven I brushed the outside with melted butter.
The dough before forming.
The newly formed loaf, before going into the oven.
The bread isn't the most beautiful thing, but was very good. The bread was very dense but had a delicious crust. It tasted best on the day it was made, but dried out over the next few days. I served it with Guinness Beef Stew, also from the same cookbook.
The finished loaf of Irish Soda Bread
Guinness Beef Stew
Cookbook: "The Best International Recipe" by Cooks Illustrated
Recipe: Irish Soda Bread
Difficulty: Easy
Alterations: None
Results: Good. Best eaten the day it is made, or be prepared for very dry bread.
Make Again: Probably next St. Patrick's Day