irish soda bread with pecans + chocolate chips

In Savannah Saint Patrick’s Day is a massive celebration. Why not add a little southern sweetness to an Irish classic? Make this Irish Soda Bread with Pecans and Chocolate Chips!

Classic Irish Soda Bread is a staple, best served with corned beef and cabbage. It is a plain bread made with buttermilk and baking soda, which react together to create a tender and moist bake without yeast. Given that it is not a yeast-based bread, there is no proofing involved. This means once the sticky dough is whipped up, it’s oven ready.

Typical add-ins are raisins or currents. I was craving chocolate and thought pecans were a perfect pairing. If you use the best dark chocolate chips, this will provide tings of sweetness with every bite.

Every weekend, I set out to make a special treat to share with you and my family. This usually goes hand in hand with a newfangled photography experience. Today I worked on motion photographs.

In order to capture motion, like cutting with a knife or milk pouring above, there are a few adjustments needed with your camera. First, ensure that your camera is secure on a tripod. Then adjust your shutter speed to high, so you can capture the movement. After that, tweak your aperture based on how much blur you want in the background of the photo. Lastly, adjust the ISO to get the correct exposure.

When you are ready to take the photo, set the camera to self-timer. I used 10 seconds and set it to take 6 consecutive shots. This gives me time to get set up behind my subject. Ensure that the camera is focused on the subject that will not move, such as the bread in my photos.

ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 6 ounces dark chocolate chunks
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and a lightly dust with flour.
2. In a stand mixer, whisk the buttermilk and the egg.
3. Then mix in the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and cream of tartar.
4. Add the chocolate chips and pecans and mix.
5. Scatter extra flour on a clean counter and dump out the dough on top of the flour. Dough will be very sticky.
6. Carefully form the dough into a ball using extra flour on your hands to prevent sticking.
7. Place the soda bread on the prepared baking sheet.
8. Using a serrated knife cut an X on the surface of the soda bread.
9. Bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden brown. If you tap the bottom, it should sound hollow.
10. Serve warm with a swipe of butter