Lucky palate

With every holiday, there is that one special treat that comes to mind with mention of the day. Valentine's Day, chocolate... Easter, Cadberry eggs... 4th of July... hamburgers... Thanksgiving, turkey... and St. Patrick's Day... Irish Soda bread, hand's down! I love the diversity of this bread, the starch chameleon. Whether dipped in soup or sweetened with jam, there's a recipe to satisfy any palate. This is one of my favorites!

Irish Soda Bread from Grand Central Bakery

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped orange zest
3/4 cup currants
3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
Egg wash

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl with high sides or the bowl of stand mixer and whisk to combine. Stir in the caraway seeds, orange zest and currents.

Dice the butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Use your hands or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer on low speed to blend the butter into dry ingredients until the texture becomes mealy. If you want to finish baking the soda bread the next day, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight; otherwise proceed with the recipe.

Add 3/4 cup of the buttermilk at once, mixing just until the dough comes together, 30-35 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides to incorporate dry ingredients, then stir in enough buttermilk to bring the dough together. You may have buttermilk leftover.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 chunks. Gently shape the chunks into domed disks and score each one into quarters. Place on the prepared pan and brush liberally with egg wash (1 egg, 1 tablespoon water, pinch of salt whisked all together).

Bake for 30-35 minutes rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The soda bread should be shiny and golden brown. To serve, cut or pull the disks apart where they were scored. Makes 8 large pieces.