By Therese
St. Patrick’s Day–you may not be Irish yourself, but I’m willing to bet you or someone you know acknowledges or celebrates March 17th. Our family (Felice and I) have Irish roots, so I personally celebrate, and I also enjoy traditional and authentic Irish foods, drinks, and art among other things. My favorite Irish bread is actually brown bread, but I cannot find a loaf of one to buy that I like, nor can I nail any recipe, no matter how “easy” and “fool-proof” I’m told it is. If you haven’t picked up on this about me, it’s that baking is a challenge. I love the exact science of it, but I hate terribly that, for some reason, my end result is never as it should be. Therefore I tend to cringe at the thought of it, but when I bake and it turns out great, it’s the BEST thing!
So, because Irish Soda Bread is readily available for purchase as a loaf in a LOT of markets and bakeries in Chicago this time of year, I asked around in a mom’s group for their favorite place to get some. I personally have always thought that Jewel (big box grocery store) offered a great example of soda bread and several moms felt the same. Some other suggestions came though and I took note, went out to get a loaf from 3 places (okay, you guessed it, I sent Bob to do this errand) and had a tasting of all 3 loaves. Hard work (ahem). We had loaves from Jewel and Mariano’s (another big box store with a bakery), and Wolf’s Bakery in Evergreen Park, a southwest suburb of Chicago. I’m going to share what we thought, raisin by raisin, in the hopes of steering you to a great treat if you’re looking yourself.
Also, since my little lass can’t enjoy traditional soda bread, I whipped up (see how I made myself sound all professional there?) some gluten-free Irish Soda Bread muffins….she will never feel left out from culinary love due to gluten (or the lack thereof). I will share the link to the recipe I used and results of that as well. We cued up our favorite Saw Doctors playlist and dove in.
As I first mentioned, Jewel was always my go-to for buying a pre-made loaf of soda bread. It didn’t disappoint this time, either. It was the most precisely-formed loaf of the 4: smooth and round, and also the darkest exterior. It came pre-sliced, which you’d think would dry the bread out more quickly, but it didn’t at all (and it keeps nicely for days). The bread has a good ratio of raisins-to-bread, as I don’t particularly like a raisin in every single bite. The texture was dense but not dry at all, and the traditional flavor stood out, even after I spread some softened butter on. A loaf from Jewel costs $2.69, the lowest price-point of the 3 loaves.
Mariano’s bread came whole and not sliced, and it was the most crusty and hilly shaped. It also had crystal sugar coated on top. It wasn’t easy to cut a slice; the firm crust and the hand-packed shape made it difficult, but once I got the first section off, it was easier. The bread was also dense in this sample, but much drier than Jewel’s; it actually crumbled apart before I could get a full slice to the plate. I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor, though, because I expected less from a dry bread: it was great. It had the perfect soda flavor, the right amount of raisins for me, and tasted the most like the bread I’d eaten in Ireland. I was just sad that it was so dry; maybe we didn’t get a fresh loaf. A loaf from Mariano’s costs $3.25.
Wolf’s had signs in their bakery that touted their Irish Soda Bread as “Famous” so I had high hopes for this one, and I purposely tasted it last. It came sliced, slightly uneven on the top, with a medium-dark outer crust. The inside slices were creamy in color, but much lighter and less dense than the others (and than I’m used to). The raisins were sparse, and if I didn’t have a bite that had a raisin in it, the bread tasted like standard white bread. It wasn’t dry or crumbly, but it lacked any real flavor profile of soda bread. A loaf from Wolf’s Bakery costs $4.79.I think next year I’ll try different brands again, because it was not only a blast to eat soda bread all morning, but I have to admit that I love having so much of it on my kitchen counter. My hips, on the other hand, well, hips don’t lie.
The best gluten-free Irish Soda Bread muffins, which actually rank #2 in my overall favorite bread samples, were super easy to make. They were packed with flavor and not at all dry. My daughter was thrilled to have something traditional that she craved around and it was fun for us to make together (though she really didn’t need my help much). The photos will also show evidence of my lack of baking in the house (disposable muffin pans). If we can pull this recipe off, anyone can! We used a recipe from King Arthur Flour’s blog and the recipe was written by PJ Hamel. You can find it here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2015/03/13/gluten-free-irish-soda-bread-muffins/
So, my vote was for Jewel as #1, gluten-free as #2, Mariano’s as #3 and Wolf’s as #4.
Here are the stores’ websites if you’d like more info on the breads:
Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve always wanted to try making gluten free soda bread and not known where to begin with the recipes out there. I think a homeschooling lesson in baking is just the thing we need to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow.
That’s a great idea and a really great compliment, Annie. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a go!
…and now I’m hungry after reading this. Looks delicious!
Thanks, Cheryl! Hopefully you are surrounded by snacks 🙂