St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and some of yinz are probably gearing up to cause some lighthearted shenanigans. But for middle-aged moms like me who prefer to stay home rather than bar crawl, it’s the perfect time to crank up some Flogging Molly (seriously, I hope Dave King is okay), Irish up my coffee (with some N/A whiskey from The Open Road), and get into some hardcore baking.
Once, in my twenties, I baked a loaf of good old-fashioned Irish soda bread that wasn’t half bad. That recipe was sadly lost to my bad memory and poor future planning. So I found this gem in the June 1, 1967 edition of The Pittsburgh Press. It apparently had been the first time The Netherlands Club, The Daughters of Erin and Knights of Equity, and the Russian Orthodox Church of Belle Vernon participated in Pittsburgh’s International Pittsburgh Folk Festival, where nationality groups could showcase their traditional foods..
Now I can “yikes” at the fact that not a single person of color appears in any of the photos and that only exotic countries like Canada appear to have their own trucks there. The black-and-white photos are pretty white, if you get my drift. But the fact is that the festival began at the Syria Mosque and that as early as the late 1950s, Indian, Mexican, and Muslim groups participated, as well as Scottish, Scandinavian, German, and Eastern European heritage groups. And as the festival has grown over the last seven decades, more South American, European, African, and Asian communities have joined..
Another thing you may glean from the photos is that the woman holding the Irish Soda bread is smiling brightly. Why wouldn’t she? She just baked something delicious that took very little effort and looks like a million bucks.
Irish soda bread is about as easy as baking gets — no yeast, no rising, and very little kneading. Just mix, shape, and pop it in the oven. The result? A golden, craggy loaf with a crisp crust and a soft, airy bread speckled with caraway seeds and raisins. Your kitchen will smell amazing, and your Irish ancestors (real or honorary) will be proud.
Here is the original recipe:.
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sugar
- â cup shortening
- 3 cups raisins
- 2 tsp. caraway seeds
- 1 ½ cups sour milk
- 3 eggs
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Sift flour with salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar into a bowl. Add shortening and cut or mix until texture is crumbly. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds..
Mix sour milk and eggs. Add to flour mixture and blend to make a soft dough. Knead briefly.
Shape and place into a 10-inch round skillet. Bake at 375°F for one hour..
First, let’s address the sour milk because my first thought was, ew. But making a sour milk substitute from refrigerator staples was really pretty easy. The best solution I found was a 1:2 ratio of Greek yogurt and whole milk. Greek yogurt has a natural acidity that creates a wonderful flavor in this bread. And it added a bunch of protein! (This mixture is pictured in the mint-green bowl above.)
I also substituted softened butter for the shortening, but otherwise, I followed this recipe to the letter. I sifted my dry ingredients first then blended my wet ingredients and added them to my mixing bowl. After adding my raisins (half purple, half golden) and caraway seeds, I popped my dough into the greased bottom of my cast iron skillet and baked it for one hour in a preheated oven..
Not only did this turn out perfect, it was also easy to freeze the portion that didn’t get gobbled up. I plan on busting this back out on St. Paddy’s Day with some eggs and smoked ham.
Here’s a printable version of this recipe. Enjoy!.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2025.
