Jim Coleman: Irish soda bread - traditional and not

Q: If an Irish soda bread recipe calls for shortening, can you use olive oil instead? Do you have a traditional Irish soda bread recipe that you can share? Thank you.

- Brenda M.

A: I'm envious of anyone who can say they are 100 percent or a first-generation American of any nationality because I am a 100 percent American Mutt.

Oh sure, Coleman has Irish roots, but those roots have been grafted with Scottish, English, German (the list goes on) stock. But today, since we're talking about soda bread, my Irish eyes are smilin'.

Almost all traditional cultures have produced signature culinary items. The Italians gave us pizza, pasta and great wine; the Germans developed great sausages, cured meats and beer; the French . . . well, just ask them.

The Irish got stuck with good old soda bread. As any leprechaun knows, traditional Irish soda bread is made from only four ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt and sour milk. The fact that you have seen an Irish soda bread recipe that calls for shortening shows there are some wee misconceptions about what constitutes the real thing.

That doesn't mean that variations on the original aren't good. And, yes, if you want to substitute olive oil for shortening in such a recipe, it will most likely work just fine. I suggest using light olive oil instead of extra virgin.

Some brands of olive oil, such as Filippo Berrio, offer a variety of grades that suit different cooking purposes. Light olive oil is labeled that way because of its flavor and color; it has nothing to do with fat or calories.

Unless you want to impart a distinctive olive flavor to what you are cooking, light olive oil is the best choice for all-around baking needs.

Let's rule out what traditional Irish soda bread is NOT:

_ It is not an old recipe that dates back to the Druids. In fact, it was not until baking soda was introduced to Ireland around the 1840s that the dish appeared on the old sod.

_ Oddly, it was not the Irish who invented soda bread. It's believed that Native Americans were the first to leaven their bread using a type of soda ash.

_ Real soda bread does not have any of the following ingredients: Irish whiskey, honey or sugar, eggs, butter or shortening (or olive oil), garlic (some people put it in everything), yeast (Irish soda bread was developed as a quick bread to serve at Easter), citrus zest, the kitchen sink (how did that get in there?), caraway seeds and especially (drum roll here) raisins!

If you sliced up some San Francisco sourdough bread and discovered Irish whiskey, honey and raisins in it, it might be interesting, but it sure wouldn't be traditional. The same holds true with Irish soda bread.

If your soda bread does have raisins or currants in it, it is called Spotted Dog or Railway Bread.

I am sharing a real, traditional Irish soda bread recipe, if you want to be 100 percent authentic, as well as a whole-wheat version. If you want to try a variation, for the mutts of us out there, I've included one of those, too.

Maybe you'll start your own tradition. *

4 cups cake or pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1½ cups buttermilk

Brush a baking sheet with melted butter. Combine dry ingredients in a deep bowl. Gradually stir in enough buttermilk, beating constantly, until dough is firm enough to be gathered into a ball.

Place on a lightly floured board and form into an approximately 8-inch loaf. Place loaf on baking sheet and slash a half-inch-deep X into the top of the dough with a small, sharp knife.

Bake in a preheated, 400 degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve hot.

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups pastry or cake flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1½ teaspoons baking soda

2 tablespoons butter plus extra for buttering

cake pan

14 ounces buttermilk

Lightly butter and flour a cake pan. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until the flour is crumbly. Add the buttermilk a bit at a time to form a sticky dough.

Place dough on floured surface and lightly knead into a large ball. Shape into a round, flat shape in the prepared cake pan and cut an X in the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Cover the pan with another pan and bake in a preheated, 425 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

After taking it out of the oven, cover the bread with a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist. Serve hot or let cool.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups pastry or cake flour

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

1¼ cups buttermilk

¼ cup light olive oil

2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon milk mixed with 1 tablespoon melted butter

Brush a baking sheet with melted butter. Combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk and oil together. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in buttermilk mixture.

Add caraway seeds and raisins. Stir until a soft dough forms. Shape dough into a large ball on a lightly floured board (flour hands for easier handling). With a sharp knife, make an X on the top.

Place on prepared pan, brush with milk/butter mixture and bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven until golden brown, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.