By Jessie Gambrell

Although St. Patrick’s Day has already come and gone, we could still use some good, hearty Irish food during these hectic, busy times. My mother has a wonderful recipe for Irish Soda Bread that is so cozy, the very smell of it makes you feel as if you were at home on your nice, comfy couch in front of a fire. Would you like to know what this miraculous recipe is? It’s really quite simple and can be in the oven in less than 15 minutes!

What you’ll need:

–       4 cups of flour

–       4 Tbs. of sugar

–       1 Tsp. of baking soda

–       1 ½ Tsp. of salt

–       4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) of butter

–       1 ¾ cups of buttermilk (can be made with 1 ¾ cups of milk with a Tsp. and a half of vinegar, stirred to substitute the buttermilk)

–       1 egg

–       1 Tsp. of vanilla extract

–       Whisk & 2 mixing bowls

–       Baking sheet with wax paper or Pam

Directions:

Turn your oven on to 375 degrees. Hand-whisk the wet ingredients: vanilla extract, egg, buttermilk, and butter together in a bowl till well-blended. Stir the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Then softly stir the wet mixture as you pour in the dry mixture slowly until all of the dry ingredients are mixed with the wet ones. [Caution: Do not over-stir or it will toughen the dough.] Place the ball of dough onto a floured baking sheet, then sprinkle a little flour on the top to help your hands not stick to the dough as you shape it into a large scone shape. Use a knife and make a cross on the top of the loaf. Place it in the oven for 50 minutes and let it cool, if you can resist, before slicing it up for your guests. Enjoy!