Let me just say that I will eat almost any ethnic food any time, any where.  While I’m not truly Irish, my family would say that we are part ‘Scotch-Irish‘.  Like every good American, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day eating the traditional corned beef, cabbage and Irish Soda Bread.

Irish Soda Bread is tasty and simple.  The key is to make sure the bread is cooked through by testing with the ‘hollow sound’.  It’s delectable served warm with butter, but I love a piece drizzled in honey.

This St. Patrick’s Day:

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
–Irish blessing

IRISH SODA BREAD

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet.
• In large bowl, combine flour with soda, sugar, salt and cream of tartar, mix well.
• Add buttermilk; with fork, stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn out dough only lightly floured board. Knead lightly until smooth, about 1 minute.

• Shape dough into a ball; place on cookie sheet. With hands, flatten into a 7″ circle. With sharp knife, cutting 1/4 inch deep, mark into quarters.

• Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until top is golden-brown and loaf sounds hollow when rapped with knuckle.
• Remove loaf to wire rack. Brush top with butter; cool completely.

Yield: 1 loaf