Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Erin go braugh, me lassies and laddies. Tis time for a wee muffin, perhaps with a cuppa tea? So fire up the oven, you'll be sittin' down in no time, happy to bite into a hot bit of bread with just a touch tad of caraway but plenty-for-sure, of dried fruit.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "My mother was an Irish immigrant and ... always dressed up [soda bread] for the holiday by adding dried fruit ... This recipe was really a wonderful throwback to a very long time ago." ~Ann

Silicone: A Culinary Disappointment.

My vote for the biggest cookware scam in recent history? Silicone.

How many of us rushed out to buy crayon-colored sets of those rubber-like Bundt pans, muffin trays and then – after a few disappointing tries – whisked them off to Goodwill? All that promise, all our money. What a waste.

So here’s my own list of silicone duds, along with the only two pieces of silicone left in my kitchen which, surprise, I really love.

Silicone baking pans – They’re hard to clean, slow to dry and awkward to store. They need a baking sheet underneath for support, complicating baking times. DUD.

Silicone spatulas – They resist heat, sure. But they have no bend and so are incapable of performing their primary function, scraping the bowls. Skip the silicone, give me the old-time Rubbermaid spatulas. DUD.

Silicone oven mitts – Again, these fat gloves have no give and thus are not only clumsy but outright dangerous for grasping hot pots and pans. DUD.

Silicone trivets – Okay, these work fine but so do a dozen other products that are more attractive. DUD.

Silicone baking mats – These are expensive and you still need a cookie sheet below. But I do love the Silpat silicone baking mat (My Disclosure Promise) for making pie crust and at least a silicone baking mat is reusable which parchment is not. SEMI-DUD.

Silicone pastry brushes – Yay, finally a winner! Throw away the brushes that leave bristles behind when brushing hot crusts with butter, marinating meat. Plus – they clean beautifully in the dishwasher so there’s no question about cross-contamination between meat and other foods. HIT!

Silicone muffin and cupcake liners – My most recent favorite, used to bake the Irish Soda Bread Muffins. There’s no need to butter them, saving a step and calories. Better still, perfect muffins and cupcakes turn out of the liners every time. Mine came in green, orange and red from the grocery store but here's an online source. HIT!

Except? I spoke wrote too soon! These liners are impossible to clean! And people think they're disposable so toss them in the trash, I was forever retrieving silicone liners from the garbage can. Worst of all? Silicone liners make for a moist almost-rubbery outer crust on the bottom half of muffins and cupcakes. Metal plus baking spray makes for that great texture contrast, a crisp outer edge. DUD!!!

What’s Your Experience?

Which silicone products are duds and hits in your kitchen? Which do you recommend to Kitchen Parade readers?

IRISH SODA BREAD MUFFINS

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 12 muffins

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 187g
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour, fluffed to aerate or 94g
• 1/3 cup (66g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons ground caraway or 2 teaspoons whole caraway seeds
• 1-1/2 cups dried fruit (currants, cherries, cranberries, apricots, golden raisins, dates), larger pieces cut small

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (235g) buttermilk (see TIPS)

• Demerera sugar for topping (see TIPS)

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. If using silicone liners, drop into a muffin tin. If using muffin tins, spray the cups with baking spray or line with papers.

In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (that’s the flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt and caraway) and the dried fruit.

In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave in 10-second increments. While it melts, in a large bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk, then whisk in the melted butter. With just a few quick stirs, turn the flour mixture into the wet mixture. The dough will be quite stiff.

With two spoons, one to scoop and one to scrape, fill the muffin cups. Gently sprinkle the sugar over the tops.

Bake for about 20 minutes until tops and sides are golden and crisp. Let cool 5 minutes, then either dig in! or turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

Best served warm on the first day but still quite moist on the second and third days. After that, you may want to "toast" the muffin halves in a toaster oven or skillet.

ALANNA's TIPS The inspiring recipe says that buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream can be used. The sugar topping is optional but provides a burst of sweetness and a slight crunch, both welcome. It’s a lot, a whole cup and a half of dried fruit. I was tempted to cut back to a cup or less but was glad I didn’t. If you choose to use less fruit, consider adding a touch more sugar.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Muffin: 198 Calories; 6g Tot Fat; 4g Sat Fat; 34mg Cholesterol; 268mg Sodium; 30g Carb; 2g Fiber; 13g Sugar; 4g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 5 & SmartPoints 8 & Freestyle 8 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = 1/2 muffin (2g protein).

Adapted from Bakers’ Banter, the baking blog from King Arthur Flour

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More Recipes for St. Patrick's Day

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~ more St Patrick's Day recipes ~

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ dried fruit recipes ~
~ buttermilk recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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