Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Tea Bread Tuesday: Irish Soda Bread Redux

Tea Bread Tuesday is changing at my house.  I will no longer bake a new tea bread every Tuesday.  When even my husband, with his insatiable sweet tooth, stopped nibbling on the breads, I knew it was time to reassess the project.  Oh, I'll still try out new recipes now and again.  I just don't want to continue the search for a new recipe every week.  When I started the project, I really thought I'd have enough recipes to fill an entire year.  Well, it turns out that, although the recipes are certainly out there, I'm not interested in a great many of them.  If anything, all this baking has made me very pernickety about what I choose to bake.  So, I will continue to post a new quick bread recipe once in a while, but I'll intersperse my baking with the tried and true recipes that my family already loves.

This week I baked one of our favorites, Irish Soda Bread, which I posted here last year for St. Patrick's Day.  This year I tried a small variation:  I added the grated zest of one orange, borrowing a suggestion from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa - it was delicious!  The orange zest compliments the currants beautifully, and adds a little more depth to the overall flavor.


Thanks to all my friends in blogland, who stuck it out all these months, and indulged me while I went through this tea bread phase.  I'm not completely done with it; I'm sure there're one or two recipes that I just have to try out . . . I'll be in touch . . .

5 comments:

Nicki said...

Irish Soda Bread is a family favorite and Ina Garten is such an inspiration - she is just so casual you can't help but be pulled into her kitchen. As for being tired of bread - never! But I can see where your family might want something different. But they'll be back, maybe in the form of cupcakes or muffins - but they'll be back. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and let you get out to photograph flowers - then the foodies will be begging you to come back inside and bake.

Thank you for the kind words you so often share on my blog. :)

Reds said...

... never had irish soda bread - but after seeing your photo - it's on my list of things to bake!! Hope you will continue posting, even if it's not tea bread!

Linda (More Fun Less Laundry) said...

Hi Maria! So glad you are back but I will really miss the Tea Bread posts! I always read them even if I don't bake them. Did you see the Ina cook along party this week? See my post called "How Easy Was That?" for a link. This soda bread sounds very tempting. I'm planning to make Irish Stew on Thursday and I think I'll add your bread with the orange zest and a green salad! I had to buy limes for that post of mine and I thought of you-he he he! They weren't the bargain you got!! Linda

Suzy said...

I enjoyed your tea bread phase :). How fun to bake every week until they stop their nibbling. I always say I should but I really need to bake something one of these days :)..

Barb said...

That's OK. As long as you continue every once in a while. I know you have a lot to post about anyway. The irish soda bread sounds really good.