Green butter spread adds touch of Irish to traditional soda bread

Irish soda bread doesn’t need yeast or a lot of kneading. You can make it in a food processor then finish it up with a bit of hand kneading. Younger cooks would enjoy making this bread with a big bowl and spoon then kneading. The cross on the top also makes it a beauty of a round loaf with an extra crunchy crust. Homemade bread in 45 minutes to an hour is a temptation hard to resist. It is the perfect accompaniment to Irish stew for St. Patrick’s Day.

Green butter spread adds that wee bit of Irish to this warm wholesome loaf. I created it after thinking through the idea of adding spinach or loads of fresh green herbs to the bread itself. The idea of green bread sounded about as appetizing to me as Dr. Seuss’ "Green Eggs and Ham” did to my daughter when I used to read it to her.

Creating a green speckled butter spread with an infusion of fresh herbs sounded much more appealing. To keep the use of butter a little more heart-healthy, I added extra virgin olive oil with fresh parsley and dill. This spread is like a refreshing promise of spring. Like the Irish soda bread, it is simple to make.

Irish Soda Bread with Green Butter Spread

Makes 1 (7 to 8-inch) round loaf.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1¾ cups whole-wheat flour

½ cup old-fashioned oats or Irish oatmeal (uncooked)

Additional oats for coating loaf and spreading under bread for baking

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1½ cups buttermilk (or 1½ cups regular milk warmed slightly in microwave with 1½ tablespoons white vinegar stirred together and allowed to sit for a couple of minutes to curdle) or plain yogurt

Option: 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Option: Substitute ½ cup cake flour for ½ cup of the all-purpose flour.

→Place dry ingredients in the work bowl of food processor and pulse, or mix together by hand in a large bowl. Pour milk into feed tube slowly while processor is running. Keep pouring until dough starts to form a ball that begins to roll around the bowl.

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