How to Make Irish Buttermilk Bannock for St. Patrick's Day

Bread is traditional breakfast fare in the British Isles, and Irish buttermilk bannock is just one of the breads that can be served. Bannock, which is a buttermilk-moistened bread, is a cheap treat that is often served on St. Patrick's Day. Bake a loaf of Irish buttermilk bannock to celebrate with this March.

Things You'll Need

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• Additional flour
• Casserole pan
• Cooking spray
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Wire rack

Instructions

1. Prepare your utensils for making Irish buttermilk bannock. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a casserole pan with cooking spray, and sift some flour onto a cutting board or another smooth surface for kneading bread.

2. Stir together the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and raisins in a large bowl, as you will be adding the wet ingredients into the container.

3. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together in a smaller bowl. Once they are mixed, add the concoction to the larger bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir the batter until it is sticky.

4. Pour the batter onto your floured cutting board or smooth surface. Knead it gently until the batter stops sticking to the table. Once that occurs, make the batter into a ball.

5. Put the ball into the casserole pan for baking. If you wish, cut a cross in the center of dough with a sharp knife. Bake for about 75 minutes or until done.

6. Allow the bread to cool for about 15 minutes before moving it from the pan. After it cools a little bit, place it on a wire rack until it cools to room temperature.

Tips & Warnings

• Traditionally, a cross is marked on each bannock. The cross has religious connotations, but is not required to make a good loaf for St. Patrick's Day.

• Serve your bannock in thin slices. If your bannock becomes stale, use the bread slices for French toast. The buttermilk in the bread will taste great with a little maple syrup a few days after St. Patrick's Day.

• Do not add more buttermilk that the recipe requires. If you do, the dough will become too wet and won't rise properly without proportionate amounts of the other ingredients.

• Don't attempt to make bannock without a casserole pan. This bannock recipe will not cook properly in a loaf pan. If you do not have any pans, try frying the dough into small rolls on the stove.