St. Patrick's Day

Bakeries roll out soda bread
- Carissa Remitz
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
San Francisco Chronicle

While many think of St. Patrick's Day as an excuse to drink Guinness my thoughts turn to a hearty, traditional favorite, fresh from the oven: Irish soda bread.

Irish soda bread has a relatively short history, starting with the introduction of baking soda to Ireland in the mid-1800s.

In its most basic form, baking soda is combined with only three other ingredients: flour, buttermilk and salt. Variations exist, but the basic formula remains.

Noe Valley Bakery (4073 24th Street, at Castro; (415) 550-1405) prides itself on using time-honored techniques and a recipe passed down from an Irish grandmother. The bakery makes both a plain and scallion version, designed to accompany the traditional holiday meal of corned beef and cabbage.

Irish soda bread can also be purchased fresh at the following purveyors:

Arizmendi, 1331 Ninth Ave. (at Judah), San Francisco; (415) 566-3117; the Cheeseboard, 1504 Shattuck Ave. (at Vine), Berkeley, (510) 549-3183; Artisan Bakers, 750 W. Napa St., Sonoma, (707) 939-1765; and Bovine Bakery, 11315 Hwy. 1, Point Reyes Station, (415) 663-9420.

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