Posts

Garlic and Onion Irish Soda Bread

/in , /by

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, this savory bread is perfect to serve alongside a hearty stew or a helping of cabbage and corned beef. Soda bread gets its name from baking soda, which is used to help it rise instead of yeast, making it quick and easy to bake any time. This soda bread uses garlic and onion to give it an extra kick of flavor that’ll have everyone peeking into the kitchen to see what smells so good.

This recipe calls for buttermilk. If you’re vegan or dairy free, you can make your own using plant-based milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Simply add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to 2 cups of plant-based milk. We recommend using soy milk or coconut milk, as a milk with a higher fat content is closer to buttermilk. If you’re a cheese lover, try sprinkling a little bit of cheddar cheese in the dough before baking or right on top 5 minutes before you pull it out of the oven. I hope you enjoy this wonderful bread recipe!

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour (plus more for kneading the dough)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1 large white or yellow onion
½ garlic clove
1-2 T oil of your choice

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 425° and prepare a large oven-safe pot with a removable lid by lining it with parchment paper or greasing it. Set the pot aside.
Dice your onion and mince your garlic.
In a small frying pan on medium heat, add the onion and oil. Cook the onion until it becomes brown, but is not burnt. Salt to taste if desired. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on medium heat.
Transfer your cooked onion and garlic from the frying pan into a small bowl and allow it to cool in the refrigerator until it is at least room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, add your flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients together to combine.
Add your buttermilk and the cooled garlic and onion into the dry ingredients. Mix to combine using a baking spatula until the dough becomes difficult to stir.
Begin kneading the dough with your hands. You may do this in your large bowl or on your kitchen counter. Add flour as needed until the dough no longer sticks to your hands and springs back from your finger when you poke it. This may take 5 to 10 minutes depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
Transfer the dough into your prepared pot.
Score the dough with an “X” on the top, about ¼ of an inch thick.
Cover the pot with your lid and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes. You will know your bread is done when it is fragrant and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Kabocha Squash (Japanese Pumpkin) Bread

/in , /by

This sweet bread is a great treat as the weather gets colder, with warm and comforting spices that are perfect for a fall day. Instead of using a regular American pumpkin, this loaf uses kabocha squash to make it moist and flavorful. Kabocha squash is also known as Japanese pumpkin, its flavor is somewhere between a pumpkin and a butternut squash and it’s texture is wonderful for baking. Enjoy this bread fresh out of the oven or toasted with some butter the next morning.

If kabocha isn’t in season when you make this recipe, you can substitute with pumpkin puree for a similar flavor. This recipe can also be made vegan very easily by using vegan butter and “flax eggs.” To make a flax egg, grind 1 T of flax seed with 3 T of water and set it in your refrigerator for 15 minutes before adding it in the place of eggs. I made a vegan version of this sweet bread for our Front End team meeting and it was a hit!

 

Ingredients:

2 Cups all purpose flour
½ Tsp salt
1 Tsp baking soda
½ Tsp baking powder
1 Tsp ground cloves
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tsp ground nutmeg
2 Cups brown sugar
2 eggs
⅔  Cup unsalted butter
2 Cups kabocha puree

 

To make kabocha puree:

Peel a small kabocha squash.
Cut the kabocha in half and scoop out it’s seeds, then chop it into large cubes.
In a large pot, add the kabocha cubes to boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat. Using a colander, strain the kabocha from the boiling water.
Transfer the kabocha to a food processor or blender until it is smooth to form the puree.
Drain any excess water from the puree using a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer.
Set the puree aside until you are ready to bake.

 

To bake the bread:

Preheat your oven to 375℉
In a large bowl, combine your flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk them together and set it aside.
In a separate smaller bowl, add your butter and sugar. Cream them together by beating them with a whisk until combined.
Add your eggs to the sugar and butter mixture, beating until the mixture becomes fluffy.
Pour your kabocha puree into the mixture and beat it until the mixture is combined.
Add your dry ingredients and fold the wet and dry mixtures together until a thick batter is formed.
Transfer the batter to a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
Bake for one hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Serve it warm and fresh out of the oven or the next morning toasted with a little bit of butter. Enjoy!