Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tea With Lemon, Bread With Memories

Somehow I seem to have adopted an Ohio bug. Or it has adopted me....Probably sees me as a cheap trip to Florida! Scratchy throat, cough, general blahs. Lily has acquired another hat, to add to her varied collection: a nurse's hat. Not by choice, but because of my exuisite timing. Who wouldn't think that the best time to be playing host to unwelcome germs is when you are around young children...? Tea and lemon, humidifier in my room, cough drops, more tea, more lemon, and, not necessarily part of the nursing treatment, but so comforting when you're feeling under the weather---Irish Soda Bread!

I followed my nose into the kitchen to investigate the divine aroma emanating therefrom, and there it was, on the counter, a delicious, round loaf of soda bread! Transporting me back to my mother's kitchen. My mother though, would not let us have any until it was thoroughly cooled---some nonsense about it turning to stone in our stomachs!

Lily and I slathered it with butter and jam and dug right in. Yum! Even the little boys liked it. When I make it at home, my boys are less than enthusiastic, citing increased flatulence as their main objection. The devil can be fastidious when it suits him! The one son, who likes soda bread as much as his mother and sister, no longer lives at home. He it was who renamed one recipe for Oaten Farls [a variation on Irish soda bread,] Farten Oals.....Oh, the hilarity we had over that one. But I am not one to give up easily. I will try Liz's recipe on the fastidious ones when I get home.

In case you'd like to try it, here's the recipe. You can make it with all white flour, or half white, half whole wheat, as Lily does. The raisins are optional, but in my books, they only serve to increase the "Yum" factor!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Yield: Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup raisins

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk. Gradually stir dry ingredients into milk to blend. Mix in raisins.

Using floured hands, shape dough into ball. Transfer to prepared pan and flatten slightly (dough will not come to edges of pan). Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake bread until brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Originally from the magazine "Bon Appetit." So, Bon appetit!

9 comments:

Thimbleanna said...

Ooooh, Yum Indeed! Thanks for the recipe.

How awful that you have the sniffles though -- I hope the tea and lemon chase it away!!!

Pauline said...

Feel better, if only so you can eat more soda bread ;) Thanks for the recipe. Love the stuff.

Warty Mammal said...

I'm sorry you're under the weather, and hope you're better soon. Seems like sometimes the rigamarole of planning for a trip and spending hours stuffed in a little sardine can leave one feeling like crud.

Thank you for the recipe! It's a mark of your generous spirit, that you drug yourself to the keyboard to tap it out even while feeling ghastly.

Your timing is perfect. I have to provide parent snack at preschool on Friday, and I may just give this a try.

P.S. I found out that my son can pass gas on demand today. As in, whenever he wants to, with an indecent amount of pride. You've raised numerous young men; is this a guy thing?

molly said...

Most assuredly, Warty!

persiflage said...

I hope you feel better soon, what with all that TLC and soda bread, and can get on with enjoying your holiday and time with Lily and family.

riseoutofme said...

Poor Molly! We all need a bit of molly-coddling sometimes ... so sit back and soak it up ...

Even when the males in this house had no intestinal urges .. they could still replicate the noise by manipulating their hands under their armpits ... even had competitions to see who could be the loudest, the most prolific! Provided many hours of mindless hilarity ...

Maybe its a primal mating call?

Micki said...

I hope that you are feeling better soon and thanks for the recipe!
Micki

Birdydownunder said...

I hope you feel better soon.
When I grow up I want to be able to write blog posts like you.
ummmm in my dreams :)

StitchinByTheLake said...

I've saved this recipe to try Molly. Hope you feel better soon! blessings, marlene