Photos & Recipe: Chef Rob Scott's Irish Soda Bread Class
By Bruce Mermelstein
Hampton Bays Public Library got a jump on St. Patrick’s Day, celebrating with a class on how to make your own Irish soda bread muffins with raisins. Simply Creative Chef Rob Scott held the attention of the attendees as he interacted personally with each aspiring chef, ensuring that they created the perfect batch of muffins to take home for themselves. Give a man a muffin and he eats for a day, teach a man to bake and it’s a sure bet that he’ll be celebrating the Irish holiday like no other.
Chef Rob Scott’s Soda Bread Recipe
Ingredients (makes 10 muffins):
– Softened butter for the muffin cups
– 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
– 1/4 cup sugar
– 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
– 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 4 tablespoons (half stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
– 1/2 cup raisins
– 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
– 1 cup buttermilk
Directions:
1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter 10 3-by-1 1/2-inch muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces.
4. Add the raisins and the caraway, if using, and toss to coat with the flour mixture.
5. Stir in the buttermilk and mix just until combine into a stiff dough.
6. Using 1/3-cup food portion scoop, spoon the dough into the muffin cups. Using a knife put an X in the top of each muffin.
7. Bake until the muffin tops are golden brown and spring back when pressed with a fingertip, 20–25 minutes.
8. Remove from the pan and let cool on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
For more classes with Chef Rob Scott, visit facebook.com/SimplyCreativeChefRob.
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