When Irish Soda Is Rising

With the highs of St. Patrick's Day come the lows: pinches, colored beer, the terrible flirts with "green underwear on, if you'd like to check," and—Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph—those phony Irish accents. It's enough to make you want to stay inside all day. So this year, we propose a new tradition: Local bakers are pulling flaky, filling Irish soda bread out of the oven right now, so why not split a loaf with friends and family over a hot cup of Bewley's tea, some hearty shepherd's pie, or a glass of Guinness come Friday, March 17?

But first, a little background, because it's easier to find a four-leaf clover than to reach a consensus on what constitutes the perfect soda bread. Some swear by recipes that are plain and austere, reflecting the scarcity of supplies in Ireland when the bread became a dietary staple a few hundred years ago. Some recipes call for additions like molasses or raisins, making the bread much sweeter—but not as sweet as Ireland's barmbrack fruit bread. (Even bakers who favor the simple recipes might incorporate caraway and currants into the dough for St. Patrick's Day since it's a special occasion.) There is a bottom line, however, to acceptable ingredient deviation: Irish soda breads use baking soda, never yeast. (Hence, of course, the name.) The recipe evolved in this way because the soft wheat in Ireland reacts badly when yeast is used as a leavening agent. As a bonus, soda bread is quick to make because bakers don't wait for it to rise; it rises as it bakes. One legend dictates that a cross should be cut in the top of Irish soda bread to let the faeries escape; another holds that the cross wards off evil.

In order to help you find your perfect loaf, we gathered a tasting team to test four samples, and we've also included information on several local bakeries offering the bread so you can try others on your own. Whichever loaf you choose, pick up a brick of Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter and enjoy this traditional Irish staple in the comfort of your living room while wearing slippers—green or otherwise. Now that's a St. Paddy's celebration we'll drink to.

Bakery: Dahlia Bakery, 2001 Fourth Ave., 206-441-4540, www.tomdouglas.com/dahlia-bakery., BELLTOWN
Style: With her recipe, head baker Gwen Grande tries to hit midway between very rich and very dry, she says. The result: An uncrossed, golden sconelike bread, available with or without currants. "I wanted something that was nice and dense like a soda bread should be, but without the harsh aftertaste of soda," Grande says. The bread is a favorite with Dahlia devotees, who annually flock to the bakery for it in March, she adds.
What we thought about it: The flaky, cakey, buttery texture won the hearts of a few tasters, but, alas, the loaf we picked up was underdone. The resulting unpleasant spongy spots eclipsed the otherwise yummy bread.
Cost: $6.
Available: By special order through March.

Bakery: The Essential Baking Company, 2719 E. Madison St., 206-328-0078, MADISON VALLEY; 1604 N. 34th St., 206-545-0444, WALLINGFORD; and at high-end grocers like PCC and QFC; www.essentialbaking.com.
Style: This was the smallest loaf we tried, but it's very dense—weighing in at a pound. It's studded with currants and marked with the traditional cross on top. Chief baking officer George De Pasquale uses organic unbleached wheat flour and a combination of buttermilk, butter, and organic sea salt for a unique but traditional flavor. "I gotta say, in all honesty, people are as passionate about the perfect Irish soda bread as they are about the perfect pizza," De Pasquale said. "So we spent a whole lot of time developing this, testing it with friends and other Irish-soda-bread aficionados." Out of all the conflicting opinions, De Pasquale went "away from the large scone, more towards a bready texture." Why? "Just because I like it better," he said. Fair enough.
What we thought about it: This was the sweetest one we tried—very much a festive soda bread. One taster, a two-year resident of Ireland, declared this the most authentic recipe, comparable to what she bought on the streets of Galway and Dublin.
Cost: $4.59.
Available: Through March 17.