Irish Inspiration Week: GF Irish Soda Bread & Potato Leek Soup

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

How have you all been? I finally uncovered my St. Paddy's Day decor amidst our moving boxes, so all this week I'll be sharing with you St. Patrick's Day inspired decor and recipes, gift basket ideas, and more! So check back each day this week for some fun IRISH inspiration!

Mon: GF Irish Soda Bread & Potato Leep Soup (that's today!)
Tues: Kid-Friendly DIY Wreath
Wed: Toddler St. Patty's Day Gifts
Thurs: St. Patty's Day Crafts with (or for) Wee Ones
Fri: St. Patty's Day Mantel DIY Tips

Today, I have two recipes for you. First up is a gluten-free version of our family's recipe for Irish Soda Bread (originally seen on THIS post), followed by some Potato Leek Soup! Enjoy :)

GF Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients:
4 c. gluten-free flour (I prefer Bob's Red Mill)
3 tsp. xantham gum (unless your flour already includes it)
3 TB sugar
1 TB double acting baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
6 TB COLD butter
2-2.5 c. raisins
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 2 quart round baking dish, or pre-heat a pizza stone. Mix the first 5 dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. Stir in raisins. Beat eggs slightly in a separate bowl. After reserving 1 TB of egg, stir in buttermilk. Pour egg mixture into the dry mix. On a well-floured surface, kneed the dough 10 times- do NOT over-kneed (this causes the butter to melt, which you don't want). Shape dough into ball and place in baking dish. Cut a cross in the top of the loaf about 1/4 inch deep. Brush loaf with egg reserve and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Potato Leek Soup

inspired by a recipe from The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors

Ingredients:

4 TB butter

2 medium leeks, sliced (or onions)

2 lbs potatoes, sliced

3 cups milk

5 1/2 c. vegetable stock (or chicken)

1/4 c. chopped fresh chives

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 c. heavy cream (or light cream)

salt & pepper to taste

Roux (2 TB butter, 2 TB cornstarch)

Instructions:

(1) Heat a 6-8 qt. stockpot and saute butter and leek.

(2) Add potatoes, milk, stock, and herbs. Cover and cook gently for an hour.

(3) Prepare the roux by melting the butter in a small saucepan and whisking in the flour. Let it bubble for 2 mins on med-low heat, stirring constantly.

(4) Add roux to soup to thicken, whisking to avoid lumps.

(5) Cook for 5-10 mins, and then puree the soup with stick blender.

(6) Add cream and gently reheat, but do not boil.

(7) Season with salt and pepper. Serve!

Make it a Crock Pot dish: 

This can be done in the crock pot, which is actually the only way I've ever done it! In lieu of cooking for an hour on the stove, I cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or on HIGH for 4-6 hours. You can do the first step as written, or skip it completely and just add the ingredients into the crock pot sans sautéing! Step 3 must be done as written. For step 5, I just leave it in the crock pot to blend it, and make sure the crock pot is on LOW when I move onto step 6. After adding the cream, I let it cook for another ~15 mins, and then turn the crock pot to WARM.

** DISCLOSURE NOTE: The above recipe contains an Amazon Associates link. **