The Paddington Bears

Ashland lost an important member of our community earlier this month. Officer Malcus Williams passed away while on duty on March 2nd. He was a 21 year veteran of the Ashland Police Department, a husband, a father, a friend and mentor to so many young people in Ashland.

The Paddington Family of Stores will be hosting a Round Up in his honor tomorrow (March 17, 2018). Round up your purchase to the nearest dollar and the extra money will be donated to the Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation, as per his family’s wishes. We will match all of the round up money up to $500.

Stop by tomorrow and help us support a wonderful cause in honor of an extraordinary man.

Chef Marilyn Moore will be on our Mezzanine on St. Patrick’s Day! She will be sampling her Irish Soda Bread, which we are pairing with some of our favorite jams! In anticipation for your St. Patrick’s feast, we are sharing her recipe a little early!

Courtesy of Chef Marilyn Moore

Mise en Place  (gather ingredients)

• 1 and 3/4 cups   buttermilk or  ( milk plus 1 TBS = 1 tsp  lemon juice)
• 1 large egg
• 4 and 1/4 cups (515g) all-purpose flour (plus more for your hands and work surface) – (I use Bob’s Red Mill Artisanal Bread Flour)
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 and 1/2 TBS unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 cup raisins (I use half golden, half regular)²

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F Lightly grease a 8-10 inch oven safe skillet or cake pan with butter or nonstick spray. A baking sheet will also do, though the bread may spread out a bit more.
2. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, two forks/knives, or your fingers. Work the dough until into coarse crumbs, then fold in the raisins with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Gently fold the dough together until dough is too stiff to stir. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead the dough for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. Dough will be sticky, but if it is absolutely too sticky add a little more flour as needed. Do not over knead.
3. Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet/pan. Using a lightly buttered serrated knife, score an X on the top. Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top about halfway through bake time.
4. Remove skillet/pan from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads.
5. Make ahead tip: Irish soda bread can dry out quickly, so keep it wrapped up tight with aluminum foil or plastic wrap for around 3-4 days. Freezes well, up to 2-3 months. Thaw and reheat as desired.