St. Patrick's Day Soda Bread

Always the star of the table at our Garden Cafe, fresh-baked bread pots make a big impression at the beginning of any meal. To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, we're filling classic, terracotta flower pots with traditional soda bread courtesy of Styer's Pastry Chef Kara Wisely. Kara shared her family recipe for a delicious bread dotted with currants that we're feeling lucky to enjoy from breakfast to dinner. 

Irish Soda Bread
(makes 1 bread pot)

7 oz. all-purpose flour
2.5 oz. oats
1 oz. whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup currrants
9.25 oz. buttermilk 
Food safe terracotta pot (approx. 4"H, 4" diameter)

Heat the oven to 475°F. Throughout preparation, mix by hand for best results. Place all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Add currants and mix until combined. Slowly add buttermilk and stir until incorporated; dough will be moist. Sprinkle some flour onto the dough, then turn onto a floured surface and work with hands until the dough is no longer sticky. Spray a food safe terracotta pot heavily with baking spray. Roll the dough into a circle, then fit gently into the pot. Place the pot on a baking tray and bake at 475°F for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 450°F, then bake for an additional 15 minutes. Enjoy with fresh butter!