Irish American Heritage Museum is looking for the best Irish soda bread

Image: robbplusjessie

The Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany is hosting quite an interesting competition this March. 

Inspired by the museum's mission to 'preserve and tell the story of the Irish people and their culture in America', it has decided to host an Irish Soda Bread Amateur Competition celebrating the age-old traditional Irish recipe.

So what are the rules of the competition?

There are three categories: traditional white flour soda bread; traditional wheaten (brown) flour soda bread, and; family, not strictly traditional ( FNST) Irish Soda Bread. But competitors can submit a bread in more than one category if they want to.

Two soda breads from exactly the same recipe must be entered for any category in which an entry is submitted: one for display and one for the judges to examine and to eat. 

For the actual rules surrounding the preparation of the bread they are more strict:

1. Traditional White Irish Soda Bread

Authentic Ingredients: White flour, buttermilk or sour milk, bread soda, and salt

are the authentic ingredients used. NOTE: baking powder, sugar, eggs etc. may 

NOT be used. 

2. Traditional Brown Irish Soda Bread

Authentic Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, buttermilk or sour milk, bread soda and 

salt are authentic ingredients used. NOTE: baking powder, sugar, eggs, etc. may

NOT be used.

3. Family, not strictly traditional ( FNST) Irish Soda Bread

The entry must be basic soda bread that has additional ingredients used without

restriction such as sugar, eggs, fruit, seeds, baking powder, oatmeal, etc.

The bread itself will be judged by three Irish-American chefs on the day.

The competition is to be held on Saturday, 9 March, at the museum on 370 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12207. You can apply to take part in the event here. 

Below, Ed Collins (Chairman of the museum) and Chef Harold Qualters talk to Schenectady Today about the event and how the winners will be chosen:

Categories: US, New York, Irish Bread, Competition

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