Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm not much for celebrating the day drinking green beer in an irish pub, wearing a pin that says "Kiss me, I'm Irish", but there's a chance that I might be wearing some kelly green today and an old brooch that my mom gave me that has real shamrocks in it.

My family history is almost entirely Irish, there's a speckle of French in there too, but we don't talk about that much. We always had soda bread on St. Patrick's Day and this is similar to the recipe my mom made, with a few of my additions.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

(moderately traditional)

• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in milk

Sift flour, salt, soda and baking powder into mixing bowl. Mix yogurt, milk, maple syrup and raisins together. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour in milk mixture. Gradually mix in all flour. Dough should be moist, so use more milk if necessary. Turn onto floured board and knead lightly to form a round shape. Put round on a buttered piece of parchment or foil on a sheet tray. Cut a deep cross in the center of the loaf. Place in loaf pan and bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out of the centre clean. If you want to (makes it very tasty) brush with melted butter as soon as it comes out of the oven. 

Erin Go Bragh