PLATES, PLACES AND POSSIBILITIES

Rethinking Soda Bread

St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated each year on March 17th, honors the patron saint of Ireland and has grown from a modest religious feast day into a global celebration of Irish culture. In Chicago, where the holiday is marked with particular enthusiasm, soda bread remains one of its most familiar traditions. In this edition ofPlates, Places, and Possibilities, we head into the Kalamazoo Culinary Center to revisit this classic loaf and explore new interpretations baked in the Artisan Fire Pizza Oven.

Semolina Fennel Golden Raisin Soda Bread

A distinctively aromatic, sweet-and-savory profile emerges from the combination of semolina, fennel, and golden raisins. The earthy, nutty flavor of durum semolina is balanced by the sweetness of plump raisins and the subtle licorice notes from toasted fennel.

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Pancetta, Fontina, Rosemary Black Pepper Soda Bread

This soda bread is a deeply aromatic, salty, and subtly sweet variation of the classic southern Italian yeast bread. Its rich, savory character is achieved through the incorporation of crispy, unsmoked pancetta, whose rendered fat permeates the crumb. Fresh rosemary adds an earthy, piney dimension, resulting in a complex flavor profile that is nutty, porky, herbal, and spicy.

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Triple Chocolate-Cherry Soda Bread

This Irish soda bread is a somewhat unexpected take on the classic, best described as deeply rich, cocoa-infused, and slightly tangy. Dark chocolate, combined with the tartness of dried cherries, delivers a bittersweet or "sweet-but-not-sweet" experience. Imagine Black Forest Cake, but in a bread form.

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RECIPES FROM THE KALAMAZOO TEST KITCHEN

St. Patrick's Day, celebrated annually on March 17th, honors the patron saint of Ireland by commemorating his death and the arrival of Christianity to the country. Originally a modest religious feast day, it has evolved into a global celebration of Irish culture featuring parades, wearing green, and festive, traditional meals almost always served with a slice or two of soda bread.

In Chicago, the celebration of St. Patrick's Day is a major cultural event, a true "high holiday". To commemorate the occasion, I chose to head into the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet’s Culinary Center to create some unique soda breads perfect for your Saint Paddy's celebration using my favorite baking appliance: The Artisan Fire Pizza Oven. Proving once again that it is more than just a pizza oven as you can see with these recipes.

My ongoing, somewhat bizarre quest for the perfect soda bread began years ago while I was researching St. Patrick's Day cuisine for a blog. I sampled the usual fare: corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes and of course, traditional soda bread. I remember that rustic, round, quick bread with a thick, crisp, golden-brown crust, however, was slightly underwhelming. The interior was disappointing: a slightly dry, tight crumb, firm and chewy currants, and a slight metallic aftertaste, likely from an overabundance of baking soda, the ingredient that gives the bread its name.

This initial disappointment led to a realization: the simple, necessary 19th-century recipe that helped sustained the Irish nation during the Potato Famine merited a contemporary update. From that realization inspired the creation of a new soda bread recipe, focused on achieving a superior texture and higher moisture content, and incorporating modern sweet and or savory additions.

I am a true admirer of nearly all yeast breads from French baguettes and San Francisco sourdough to Italian Tuscan and German Rye and baking is a genuine passion of mine. However, I have very little patience for the full, complex process: the mixing, kneading, multiple proofing stages, shaping, scoring, and the agonizing wait for the loaf to bake and then cool. And, maintaining a sourdough starter is entirely out of the question. I only make exceptions for simpler yeasted items like bagels, soft pretzels or no-knead focaccia. This is precisely why quickbreads, such as soda bread, are the perfect creative outlet for a bread lover like me, allowing me to enjoy a warm, fresh loaf from the oven anytime without the extensive time commitment and effort.

Inspired by my favorite yeast breads that I felt might translate well into a soda bread, two creations from Amy’s Bread, a beloved New York City bakery, immediately came to mind. Amy Scherber founded the shop in Hell’s Kitchen in 1992, and it has since become famous for its hand-made, traditional breads, along with a delectable selection of sandwiches, breakfast pastries, cookies, and fantastic layer cakes. While I love all their offerings, the Semolina with Golden Raisins bread and the Baguette-Shaped Prosciutto rolls are consistently my favorites.

Those breads sparked an idea: could I take these signature flavors, adapt them into a soda bread format, add my own twist, and bake them perfectly and quickly in a pizza oven? The answer is a resounding "Yes!" Achieving this is simpler than you might think, provided you follow a few basic rules.

For a sweet and decadent twist on the traditional savory Irish soda bread, I even developed a triple chocolate-cherry version too. This recipe employs the soaking technique for the dried cherries and also incorporates two types of chocolate and Dutch cocoa powder for a deep, rich flavor.

My contemporary take on soda bread bridges the gap between historical authenticity and modern expectations, offering a loaf that is both deeply rooted in tradition and appealing to today's discerning palate. This isn't just a simple, dense quick bread; it's a carefully crafted culinary experience. A loaf worthy of being served not just on St. Patrick's Day, when tradition mandates its appearance, but any day of the year. Happy St Patrick’s Day!