CANNABIS INFUSED IRISH SODA BREAD GOES PERFECT WITH ANY COVID-19 QUARANTINE
With the Covid-19 Quarantine in full effect, this St. Paddy’s Day is slightly different from the green filled holiday of years past. But what pairs better with mandatory isolation than weed and comfort food? Our cannabis infused Irish Soda Bread is a fun Seattle twist on a traditional Irish recipe. It is quick and easy to make. Bread and butter are a classic accompaniment to soups and roasts, as well as a dependable snack. This delicious treat delivers the subtle mineral flavors of soda and sourness of buttermilk without overpowering your taste buds. It also calls for very few ingredients, most of which you probably already have in the pantry. You can curate the strength of the cannabis experience depending on the strain you choose for the butter, and how much you use in the recipe.
You can use infused butter in the bread itself, or regular butter, and then spread infused butter on the final product. Alternatively, the butter can baste on to the top of the cannabis infused Irish Soda Bread.
Makes one loaf of cannabis infused Irish Soda Bread
Prep time: 20 min plus 40-45 minutes to bake
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoon room temperature butter (4 in dough and 1 melted and brushed onto baked loaf)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk plus 1-2 tablespoons more to bring dough together
1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients: the flours, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar. Use a large metal whisk to mix the dry ingredients until well combined.
2. Cut the butter into small cubes, add them to the dry ingredients and use your (clean) fingers, press butter into the flour until it disappears. There should be no greasiness left on your hands or in the bowl; this takes about 3-5 minutes.
3. Create a well in the flour/butter mix and pour 1 cup of the buttermilk into it. Using a fork, turn the flour butter mix into the buttermilk. The dough will become thread-like and sticky looking. Be sure to scrape sides of the bowl to bring the dry mix up from the bottom to ensure it’s all incorporated.
4. Add the remaining buttermilk slowly in small amounts to make sure that the liquid picks up the dry and crumbly bits, but be careful not to over-mix or handle the dough too much. It should look almost raggedy and resemble biscuit dough. Lightly dust your hands with flour, forming the dough into a loaf shape and transfer it to a cast-iron skillet to bake.
5. Bake the cannabis infused Irish Soda Bread for 40-50 minutes depending on how browned and crisp you want it. Melt the remaining butter and brush loaf with it, coating it evenly. Sprinkle with additional salt if needed.
To make butter for cannabis infused Irish Soda Bread:
16 tablespoons butter
1/4 ounce of cannabis – For this recipe we used Artizen’s Critical Mass high-CBD flower.
*Normally recipes call for 1/4 ounce cannabis flower per 8 ounces of butter, we decided to make our butter more mild to encourage a more subtle experience. If you’re looking for a strong experience, use 1/2 ounce of cannabis for 16 ounces of butter.
Melt butter in pan on low heat. Meanwhile finely grind up the cannabis. If you use the family coffee grinder, be sure to wash it out afterwards.
Once butter is melted, add cannabis and mix well with a metal whisk. Keep the heat on medium-low. If you see bubbles, decrease the heat; be very careful not to burn the cannabis. Stir frequently every 5-7 minutes, for about an hour. Never leave it unattended.
While mixture is still hot, use a coffee filter to strain out the cannabis over a clean mason jar. Set aside.
Once the butter is strained, place it into a small clean pan. Add to the butter 4-6 cloves of garlic put through a garlic press, 1 tablespoon dried chives, 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) and 1/2-3/4 teaspoon pepper of your choice. (We used freshly ground tricolor pepper.) Allow the butter and herbs to simmer for 2-3 min then pour off into a ramekin or small dish for storage. Butter can be used once it solidifies. It can be stored in the fridge or freezer for long-term use.
Be sure to let us know what you think of our cannabis infused Irish Soda Bread!