THIS MARTHA-STEWART-APPROVED IRISH SODA BREAD RECIPE IS THE ONLY ONE YOU'LL EVER NEED.

AU: Top ‘o’ the mornin’ to ya! Monday is St. Patrick’s Day… and while I’m not a beer person… or a corned beef person (unless it’s corned beef hash!)… I absolutely LOVE an Irish Soda Bread smothered with some good butter and a sprinkle of flaky salt.

I love the scone-like crumb and the buttery flavor of the bread, the little bursts of sweet juicy raisins, and the unique flavor of caraway seeds studded throughout the loaf.

EK: I couldn’t agree more! When I spent a few weeks at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, they made Irish Soda Bread and Scones by memory, touch and feel and I never could duplicate it when I got home. I’ve been looking for a reliable and delicious Irish Soda Bread for years!

AU: Outside of U2, the Cranberries, and Collin Farrell… Soda Bread might be my favorite Irish Export. Oh, and I love Irish Cream, too. I got this recipe in 2015 from a former colleague of mine at The Chew. When I say that most people think I’m going to mention one of the chefs: Mario Batali, Michael Symon, or Carla Hall… but no.

This recipe—the last recipe you’ll ever need to try for Irish Soda Bread—came from Bill Herlihy, who was the Executive In Charge of Production (aka “the money guy”) of The Chew. Legend has it that Bill, who was the EIC at Martha Stewart’s show before The Chew launched, brought his homemade Soda Bread for Martha to taste, and she loved it so much she made it with him on her show!

For the record, we also had Bill make the recipe on The Chew. He credits his mother, Maud, as the mastermind behind this recipe. He still makes loaves upon loaves of the treat for friends and family every year for St. Patrick’s Day. A few years ago, I made it with my good friend and Culinary Producer/Food Stylist to the Stars, Abby. We texted Bill for an assist:

AU: We thought two tablespoons seemed like A LOT of caraway seeds. Well, I can now tell you I’ve made it with TWO whopping tablespoons of caraway seeds, and per usual, Martha was right. It’s perfect.

EK: First, let me say that I was so excited to make this Soda Bread and I can say that it is definitively the last ISB recipe you’ll ever need! And, yes, the 2 tablespoons of caraway is “a (very) good thing!!”

AU: Ha! The other way this Soda Bread recipe differs from previous ones I’ve tried is that Bill’s mother added both sour cream and an egg to her bread. This, I believe, is what makes it so tender and rich.

When I told Elizabeth this, she immediately went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients to make it.

EK: Yep! Anthony didn’t even know that I had been trying to make a Soda Bread as good as the ones that I had at Ballymaloe!

AU: And make it she did! Look at that beaut of a bread! The recipe calls for two cups of raisins, and both Elizabeth and I agree that, if you can, you should do one cup of golden raisins and one cup of regular ones.

The method couldn’t be simpler: combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, cut in cubed butter with your fingers (Elizabeth GRATED her butter—genius!), add the wet ingredients and then tip it all into a large cast-iron skillet to bake! Full downloadable recipe PDF is below.

EK: A few years ago, I started grating my frozen butter for any recipe where you have to cut fat into flour. It is easy, quick and foolproof plus you get just the right amount of butter distributed evenly!

AU: That’s a great hack, EK! As you can see, it makes a beautiful and tasty loaf of bread that’s the perfect accompaniment to morning coffee, afternoon tea, or just a great bite while standing over the kitchen sink. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! 🍀

Bill Herlihy's Irish Soda Bread

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