Baked Goods in Ireland

Ireland has many different traditional baked goods that it is famous for one of these is the country rhubarb cake. This dish is traditional to Ireland because Ireland has the availability to grow rhubarb and it has had this availability for many years. The recipe follows below:

340g/120z plain flour
1tsp baking soda
pinch salt
50g/ 2oz caster sugar
80g/30z butter
1 egg
175ml/l6fl oz buttermilk

 700g/1lb rhubarb, roughly chopped
200-250g/7-9oz sugar
white of 1 egg, whisked
caster sugar to dust

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Preheat oven to gas mark 4, 180°C, 350°F, and grease a 25cm/10 inch deep pie dish. Sieve flour, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl. Add caster sugar and rub in butter. In a separate bowl, beat the egg together with the buttermilk and gradually add this to the flour until a dough is formed. Knead lightly on a floured surface and divide dough into two. Roll out one half and use it to line the pie dish. Fill the dish with the rhubarb and sprinkle with the sugar. Roll out the remaining dough to form a pastry lid. Brush the rim of the pastry base with water and put on the lid. Glaze with the whisked egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar. Make steam slits in the lid and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and the fruit is soft. This pie is also delicious if made with apples.


recipe from irelandseye.com
photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/iamos/460988924/







Another traditional Irish baked item is soda bread. It has been baked and eaten in Ireland for a very long time. Soda bread has always been a quick and easy thing to make and woman have been making it around the country for centuries. This is due to the availability of flour also soda bread is a carbohydrate which helps these women to keep there family well feed and healthy. The recipe follows below.

1lb/ 1/2kg/ 4 cups plain flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp sugar (optional) 1pt/ 1/2 lr/ 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Scoop up handfuls and allow to drop back into the bowl to aerate the mixture. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Now work quickly as the buttermilk and soda are already reacting. Knead the dough lightly - too much handling will toughen it, while too little means it won't rise properly.Form a round loaf about as thick as your fist. Place it on a lightly-floured baking sheet and cut a cross in the top with a floured knife. Put at once to bake near the top of a pre-heated oven, gas mark 8, 450°F, 230°C, for 30-45 minutes. When baked, the loaf will sound hollow when rapped on the bottom with your knuckles. Wrap immediately in a clean tea-towel to stop the crust hardening too much.recipe from irelandseye.com photo from http://www.theharriedcook.com/2011/07/irish-soda-bread.html Ireland also is famous for it traditional buttermilk scones. These are delicious especially warm out of the oven and are perfect for afternoon tea or breakfast. The recipe follows below. Butter milk has been widely available in Ireland and people were able to use it to give a richer texture to their scones. The flour and margarine has also been easily accessible around the country. 225g/ 8oz self-raising soda bread flour pinch salt 25g/ 1oz butter or hard margarine 1 egg, beaten 140/ 5fl oz buttermilk egg or milk to glaze (optional) Makes 8 Preheat oven to gas mark 8/ 230°C/ 450°F. Sift flour with salt and rub in butter or margarine. Make a well in the centre and pour in the egg and most of the buttermilk. Mix quickly to form a soft dough, adding a little extra buttermilk if necessary. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll out lightly until 2.5cm/ 1 inch in thickness. Working quickly, cut into 5cm/ 2 inch rounds. Glaze with egg or milk and set on a floured baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until light brown. recipe from irelandseye.com photo from http://unbiscottoalgiorno.com/2012/10/scones-con-clotted-cream.html