Don Giuseppe's Sicilian Soda Bread
A Sicilian take on the classic Irish Soda bread flavors. I replace caraway seed with fennel seed and golden raisins replace black raisins. Then I add toasted pignoli and orange zest to round out the Sicilian flavor profile.
This recipe is based on the one used by Don D. the longtime owner/operator of the Landmark Gourmet Deli on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan. Every St Paddy's Day Don would bake up loaves of soda bread. Every year I'd ask for the recipe. Nope. The day he learned that his rent was tripling and he would have to be "out" in six months, he wrote the recipe out for me on a brown paper bag (I still have that bag in my recipes binder). Later that week I made my first Sicilian Soda bread and delivered it to Don. He approved!
Don Giuseppe's Sicilian Soda Bread
INGREDIENTS
4 1/4 cups AP Flour, plus 2 tablespoons to prep the baking pan
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pignoli nuts
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fennel seed
zest of 1 orange
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon orange flower water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter to prep the baking pan
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 325F
Prepare a 9 inch round baking pan (or two medium size loaf pans) with butter and dusting of flour
In a dry pan, toast pignoli nuts, remove from pan and toast the fennel seeds in the same dry pan
Mix together all dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer
Add in raisins, toasted pignoli nuts and toasted fennel seeds
In a separate bowl mix together buttermilk, orange flower water and orange zest
With the mixer running add buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients in a steady stream and mix until all flour has been incorporated
Tip dough into the prepared pan
Bake for 55 - 65 minutes
Let bread rest in pan for 5 minutes then remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely
INGREDIENTS
4 1/4 cups AP Flour, plus 2 tablespoons to prep the baking pan
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pignoli nuts
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fennel seed
zest of 1 orange
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon orange flower water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter to prep the baking pan
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 325F
Prepare a 9 inch round baking pan (or two medium size loaf pans) with butter and dusting of flour
In a dry pan, toast pignoli nuts, remove from pan and toast the fennel seeds in the same dry pan
Mix together all dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer
Add in raisins, toasted pignoli nuts and toasted fennel seeds
In a separate bowl mix together buttermilk, orange flower water and orange zest
With the mixer running add buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients in a steady stream and mix until all flour has been incorporated
Tip dough into the prepared pan
Bake for 55 - 65 minutes
Let bread rest in pan for 5 minutes then remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely
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