Giving Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day

Making soda bread every year during March to celebrate St. Patrick's Day is a tradition in my husband's family. They celebrate their Irish heritage proudly, and since I'm a wannabe Irish lass who's married into the fun, I was glad to jump right in and learn. I also love to share the delicious tradition with my neighbors and friends, providing them with Irish soda bread for their own tables every year on St. Patrick's Day.

The wrapping and presentation of these St. Patrick's Day gifts has become, in their own way, as important as the Irish soda bread recipe its self. I can't share the recipe here, since I was sworn to secrecy and it was originally a gift from an angel on a cloud visiting in a dream, but let's just say the soda bread is a standard biscuit style quick bread with caraway seeds and raisins. What I can share here without breaking any family trusts is my special technique for making Irish soda bread a memorable and special gift for friends and family every St. Patrick's Day.

When giving gifts of food, it is very important to carefully wrap and present them to make sure that they're appetizing and appealing to others. It can be difficult for some people to eat food that someone else has prepared, if they're unsure about the sanitation or safe handling practices used by that person. You want any food you give to be clean, healthy and safe looking, as well as delicious.

I begin with a six inch sized round Irish soda bread. These tips can be adapted for different sizes or shapes, but I find a small round loaf is an ideal size for sharing, especially with smaller families or couples, and a traditional shape.

Wrap the bread in clear plastic wrap, from top to bottom, securing it on the underside with a small piece of tape. This will allow the soda bread to be viewed clearly, keep it clean and fresh, and be neat and secure.

After the bread is wrapped up, cut two strips of paper about 11 inches long by the height of the pan used to bake the Irish soda bread. This can be St. Patrick's Day themed wrapping paper, scrap booking paper, a gift bag or packaging, or even a brown paper bag. These are taped end to end, so if the original paper is big enough, or course, just one 20 inch long paper strip is needed.

Decorate this strip of paper with stickers, other paper cut in decorative ways, ribbons, etc. Of course, since it's St. Patrick's day, all colors of green, white, orange, and even gold are good colors to use. Shamrocks, pots of gold and rainbows are fun additions to the design.

Fasten the long strip of decorated paper securely around the circumference of the bread. Finish off your gift of Irish Soda Bread with a cutely decorated tag taped to the top of the bread with wishes for good luck and blessings on St. Patrick's Day.