st Patrick’s day • Rachel

Are you looking for St. Patrick’s Day food ideas? Irish Freckle bread is a fun addition and a great St. Patrick’s Day recipe. It’s referred to as freckle bread because of the raisins or currants that are sprinkled throughout. St. Patrick’s Day food idea: Irish Freckle bread!

St Patricks Day Food Ideas

St Patricks day which falls on March 17 annually started out as a celebration to honor the death of St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.

Today it is a day where Irish culture is celebrated and people wear green and eat green foods. Healthy green foods to eat could be peas, Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, asparagus, cabbage, milk with green food coloring added, green leaf salads, avocado, guacamole.

Irish foods to enjoy on St Patricks day could be corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, boiled bacon and cabbage or Shepherds pie to name a few. This Irish Freckle bread recipe would go great with any of these. Also a homemade Shamrock shake or the dairy free Shamrock Shake makes a great treat on St Patricks Day.

This recipe also makes a special delicious addition to your meal planning for the week.

(This makes one very large loaf)☘️

Prep time:15 minutes

Dough rising time: 40 minutes

Baking time:40 minutes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.(after the dough has risen-see below)

For this Irish Freckle Bread recipe you will need:

hot water

2 Tbsp instant yeast

1 cup unbleached white flour + 4 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 Tbsp Real Salt (or regular salt)

1/4 cup olive oil(or other type of cooking oil)

3/4 cup golden raisins (note: I have a child who doesn’t like raisins, so I have at times substituted cooked bacon and cooked onion for the raisins and currants)

1/2 cup dried currants

1 cup grated carrots

In a stand mixer or by hand mix thoroughly:

2 cups hot water

2 Tbsp instant yeast

1 cup unbleached white flour

1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

Then add:

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 Tbsp Real Salt

1/4 cup olive oil(or other type of cooking oil)

3/4 cup golden raisins (note: I have a child who doesn’t like raisins, so I have at times substituted cooked bacon and cooked onion for the raisins and currants)

1/2 cup dried currants

1 cup grated carrots

Add 4 – 4 1/2 cups flour to the mixture to very slightly clean the sides of the bowl. If you add too much, it will be too dry- so just slowly add it at the last until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl as it is mixing. The dough should be sticky. Knead 5 minutes.

Irish Freckle Bread | St. Patrick’s Day Food Idea

Irish Freckle Bread dough in the stand mixer.

Shape into one free formed loaf or place in a large loaf pan. Put dough in a well oiled large bowl or loaf pan and set in a warm place with a damp tea towel over it to rise.

The dough after kneading and before rising:

It takes about 30-45 minutes in a warm place to rise to double in size:

Irish Freckle Bread dough that has risen.

If you’re making a free formed loaf, after the dough has risen, place it on a well oiled cookie sheet. I find it easiest to just put my well oiled cookie sheet on top of the bowl that the dough has risen in and then turn it all upside down and let the dough fall out onto the cookie sheet. I then shape the dough how I like it and put it in the oven.

Turn on the oven to 375 F. Bake for 30-35 minutes in the center of the oven. Enjoy!☘️. Enjoy this Irish Freckle bread with Slow Cooker Irish Stew and a Shamrock shake to complete your St. Patrick’s Day meal.

Irish Freckle Bread | St. Patrick’s Day food idea

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