PASTRY | BAKING | CHOCOLATE | BREAD | FROZEN Pastry ArtsSPRING 2019 · ISSUE 3 CROSSROADS PETER YUEN Where Savory Pursuing the Meets Sweet Perfect Croissant — MODERN + EmILY SOUFFLÉ A Blood Orange LUCHETTI On Professional Freeform Delight Growth & Reflection Jen YEE Classics IRISH SODA BREAD By Chef Susan Lagalle 58 Pastry Arts hether it’s called ‘Spotted Dog’, ‘Curnie Cake’, ‘Railway Cake’ or just plain ‘Soda Bread’, this sweet and simple bread is an WIrish tradition St. Patrick’s Day always reminds me of “tea cake” type bread like the one we both working at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston. That Ol’ remember? No, but a similar product called Grande Dame of Hotels, the original, on 15 ‘Spotted Dog’ is. Spotted Dog is the sweet Arlington Street. Every St. Patrick’s Day, the version of Irish soda bread, made with loads hotel would host a St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast of fruits, eggs, butter, and sugar. While all with the mayor of Boston. For this event, our that sounds fantastic (except the name), it is tiny pastry kitchen frantically provided over not a true representation of ‘soda bread’ as 500 attendees with loads of breads, scones, was common in the emerald hills of Ireland croissants, Danish, muffins, and the iconic by the early 1800’s. Irish soda bread. Being an adventurous and That more historic version of soda bread ambitious pastry cook, I would volunteer to is made with only four ingredients: wheat work overnight in preparation of this event. flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. It I had the task of firing all of the breakfast was a rustic loaf made not for guests, but pastries starting at 2:00 in the morning. I also as a hearty filler to go with supper. It dried spent days in advance making round after out quickly, so it was made every other day round of traditional Irish soda bread. Or so in a cast iron pot called a bastible pot, which I thought… is similar to a Dutch oven, a staple in most Recently I delved into its history after Irish households. Because soft flour is typical an intriguing conversation with an Irish in Ireland, breads with baking soda – that acquaintance. He remembers Irish soda bread don’t rely on gluten development – were as a sweet, rich bread filled with currants and much easier to make than the traditional caraway seeds. This is exactly the type I used yeast-raised breads of Europe. Soda bread’s to make back in my Ritz days. I was certain popularity skyrocketed in Ireland during the he was right but, nonetheless, research was Potato Famine of the mid 1800’s, because in order. Is traditional Irish soda bread a soda bread is quick, filling, and inexpensive. Pastry Arts 59 1 Scale all of the dry ingredients together with the exception of the raisins. 60 Pastry Arts So if traditional Irish soda bread is generally a plain loaf, how did it morph into such an iconic sweet treat? Every corner of Ireland has a different story that explains this transformation. One version is that the additions to soda bread just “went out of style” in Ireland, but stayed popular with Irish Americans. Then Irish Americans traveled back to Ireland to visit family and re- introduced these additions generations later. Another common story is based on a time when Ireland was mostly agricultural. When the men were working hard on the land, the women of the family would reward them with 2 a richer version of soda bread by mixing in dried fruit, sugar, and an egg, if possible. This Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients version of the bread resulted in a ‘sweet cake’ until no large butter chunks are left. which had various names in different parts of the country: Spotted Dog, Curnie Cake or Add the egg and ‘buttermilk’ to the dry Railway Cake, to name a few. ingredients and mix until just combined. In my version, I have supplemented the basic white flour with some traditional Irish whole wheat flour, as well as some cornmeal. 3 Irish whole wheat flour is a coarsely ground flour made of red whole wheat. It gives this bread a bit of heartiness that white flour lacks. Cornmeal is just a textural favorite of mine. I have added raisins as my fruit inclusion, but they can be switched to any other type of dried fruit. Caraway seeds add a quintessential flavor that I associate with soda bread, but they can be omitted if you don’t like their black licorice flavor. My homemade buttermilk, however, is essential. The additional fat in the whole milk used contributes to the perfect texture and crumb. While I don’t have a bastible pot handy in my kitchen, I do have a great old cast iron sauté pan that works just as well. I don’t find it necessary to cover my bread as it bakes, but this bread can be baked in a Dutch oven which will replicate the bastible pot. Pastry Arts 61 4 Turn the dough onto a well-floured bench and dust liberally with bread flour. SPOTTED DOG On a well-floured surface, knead the dough slightly to make sure it holds together and then shape it into a loose round. Yield: One 8” round, serving 12-16 5 • 276 g whole milk • 21 g lemon juice • 226 g unbleached bread flour • 143 g Irish-style whole meal flour • 73 g cornmeal • 35 g granulated sugar • 5 g baking soda • 4 g salt • 17 g caraway seeds • 70 g cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks • 58 g whole egg • 100 g dark raisins 62 Pastry Arts 6 7 Place the round into the prepared pan and Cut a ½” deep cross into the dough. flatten to fit. • Melted butter, for brushing top (optional) be too wet.) If the dough is too crumbly, 1. To make the ‘buttermilk’, mix the whole just add a bit more milk (or ‘buttermilk’ if milk with the lemon juice and let sit at you have extra made) to bring the dough room temperature for 20 minutes. together. 2. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Lightly grease 4. On a well-floured surface, knead the an 8” cast iron skillet with vegetable oil. dough slightly to make sure it holds 3. Whisk the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking together and then shape it into a loose soda, salt, and caraway seeds together. round. Place the round into the prepared Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients pan and flatten to fit. Cut a ½” deep cross until no large butter chunks are left. Add into the dough. Bake the bread for about the egg and the ‘buttermilk’ to the dry 35 minutes, or until it is golden brown ingredients and mix until just combined, and a skewer comes out clean. adding the raisins towards the end of the 5. Remove the bread from the oven and mixing process. (It is prudent to hold a bit immediately brush with melted butter of the ‘buttermilk’ back to see if you will (optional). After the bread is slightly cool, need it all, as sometimes the dough can enjoy it with butter or preserves. Pastry Arts 63 8 Remove the bread from the oven and immediately brush with melted butter (optional). 9 After the bread is slightly Photo credit: Ciril Hitz cool, enjoy it with butter or preserves. Chef Susan Lagalle is an associate instructor in the International Baking & Pastry Institute at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. Previously the Executive Pastry Chef of TAJ Boston, she has also worked in a variety of restaurants and luxury hotels, including The Ritz- Carlton in both San Francisco and Boston. Chef Lagalle has attended professional classes by world renowned chefs such as Frank Haasnoot and Laurent Branlard. She is passionate about lifelong learning and passing her experiences to a new generation of pastry chefs. She is a graduate of the Johnson & Wales University’s baking and pastry arts baccalaureate program and the lead advisor to the program’s Pastry Arts Club. 64 Pastry Arts.