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Published: Apr 11, 2017 · Modified: Mar 16, 2022 by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links

Irish Freckle Bread With Potatoes And Raisins

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Irish bread slices with text

Irish Freckle Bread made with enriched dough yields a marvelous loaf of bread that is freckled with raisins. This Freckled Irish Bread is a good alternate to Irish Soda Bread to bake for St. Patrick's Day.

This is a beautiful loaf of bread which appears 'freckled' due to the addition of currants or raisins. The bread has potatoes which is sort of a staple in Irish diet. I saw many version of Irish soda bread, which had raisins in them.

I read that it was not traditional to add the raisins in them and hence wanted to skip it. Finally, when I found this bread with the freckles of raisin, I fell in love with it.

Irish Freckle Bread sliced in a tray

My mind was set on baking an Irish bread for the alphabet I. When I started researching for breads that start with the alphabet I, lot of Irish soda bread came up. That was the first bread of choice for me to bake . When I was researching more on the bread, I realized that the Irish soda bread was very plain and did not have much of a flavor.

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My family is not a big fan of such breads and hence I was putting off baking it for a long time. That is when, I came across Irish freckle bread on Mayuri's space.

whole loaf of Irish Bread in a bread board

The bread dough is enriched with egg and potatoes. Also the shape of the loaf is pretty different. The Irish freckle bread has a very beautiful texture and holds very well to toasting. All it needed was a big chink of butter to finish it all up.

My bake for the alphabet I is the Irish freckle bread from Ireland. I will be baking this bread routinely at my house as we all loved it and my boys especially fell in love with the raisins in the bread. I will also be adding a little bit of nuts in the bread next time when I bake it to give a different flavor.

Irish Freckle Bread Slices

Preparation time - 20 minutes plus about 2 hours of inactive time
Baking time - 30 to 35 minutes
Difficulty level - easy
Recipe adapted from - Mayuri's Jikoni

Irish Freckle Bread divided in 2 slices

Ingredients to make Irish Freckle Bread - Makes 1 standard size loaf

  • Instant yeast - 2 tsp
  • Potato - 1 small (peeled and cubed)
  • Water - ½ cup - ¾ cup
  • All purpose flour - 2 ½ cups to 3 cups
  • Sugar - 5 tbsp
  • Butter - 4 tablespoon (melted and cooled)
  • Salt - ¾ tsp
  • Egg - 1
  • Raisin - ½ cup
 Irish Freckle Bread served in a tray

Step by step process

Making the dough

  • In a small sauce pan, add the cubed potato and water and bring it to a boil. SImmer until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove the potatoes and mash it up well. Also keep the potato water aside and let it cool down until it is lukewarm.
boiling the potato in a pan and mashing it
  • I made the dough in my stand mixer. In the bowl of the mixer or in a large bowl, add 1 ½ cups of flour, yeast, sugar, salt, mashed potato and ½ cup of the potato water. Mix it up well using the beater attachment.
  • Cover the mixture with a damp towel and let it rise until it is bubbly and foamy (about 1 to 1 ½ hours).
Making the dough in a bowl and resting it to proof
  • Once the mixture has risen, add the melted and cooled butter, egg and raisin. Mix it well and add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time. Knead until a soft dough forms (about 10 minutes).
Adding eggs and raisin to the bread dough

Shaping and baking the bread

  • Grease a standard 8 x 4 loaf pan with butter.
  • Divide the kneaded dough into 2 equal parts.
  • Roll it into a 10 x 6 rectangle. and then roll it into a cylinder. Repeat the same with the half as well.
  • Place the cylinders next to each other in the greased pan.
Shaping the dough with hands
  • Let the dough rise until it reaches the top of the pan (about 1 hour).
  • In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
Bake the roll in oven
  • Let the bread cool in the pan for few minutes and then carefully remove it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Once the bread has cooled down completely, slice it into thin slices and serve.
Irish Freckle Bread served in slices

Expert tips

  • Potatoes and egg makes the dough enriched and hence the flavor and softness of the bread is amazing.
  • Check for freshness of yeast before continuing the recipe.
  • Let the dough proof enough for the flavor. Do not hurry the process.
  • Wait until the bread cools down before slicing. The center of the bread will still be very moist if we slice it too soon.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make the Irish freckle bread without raisin?

Raisin is what gives the freckles appearance to the bread. I would not call it a freckled bread if baking without it. We can call it as a enriched sandwich bread.

How to store the Irish bread?

The bread keeps well outside for 3 to 4 days and beyond it I would freeze it.

How to serve the Irish freckled bread?

Irish raisin bread is a great choice for breakfast. This bread toasts wonderfully and also tastes great as is.

My other bakes in the A – Z Baking around the World Marathon

A for Almond cookies from China

B for Bretzel Rolls from Germany

C for Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from USA

D for Danish Cookies from Denmark

E for Empanada from Argentina

F for Franzbrötchen from Germany

G for Grissini from Italy

H for Hot Cross Buns from England

 If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter

Irish Freckle Bread With Potatoes And Raisins in a tray

Irish Freckle Bread With Potatoes And Raisins

Irish Freckle Bread made with enriched dough yields a marvelous loaf of bread that is freckled with raisins. This Freckled Irish Bread is a good alternate to Irish Soda Bread to bake for St. Patrick's day.
5 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Baking, Bread, Kids Friendly, Snacks
Cuisine: European
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 188kcal
Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

  • bowl
  • food processor
  • Oven

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoon Instant yeast
  • 1 small Potato peeled and cubed
  • ½ - ¾ cup Water
  • 2 ½ cups All purpose flour to 3 cups
  • 5 tablespoon Sugar
  • 4 tablespoon Butter melted and cooled
  • ¾ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Egg
  • ½ cup Raisin

Instructions

Making the dough -

  • In a small sauce pan, add the cubed potato and water and bring it to a boil. SImmer until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove the potatoes and mash it up well. Also keep the potato water aside and let it cool down until it is lukewarm.
  • I made the dough in my stand mixer. In the bowl of the mixer or in a large bowl, add 1 ½ cups of flour, yeast, sugar, salt, mashed potato and ½ cup of the potato water. Mix it up well using the beater attachment.
  • Cover the mixture with a damp towel and let it rise until it is bubbly and foamy (about 1 to 1 ½ hours).
  • Once the mixture has risen, add the melted and cooled butter, egg and the raisin. Mix it well and add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time. Knead until a soft dough forms (about 10 minutes).

Shaping and baking the bread -

  • Grease a standard 8 x 4 loaf pan with butter.
  • Divide the kneaded dough into 2 equal parts.
  • Roll it into a 10 x 6 rectangle. and then roll it into a cylinder. Repeat the same with the half as well.
  • Place the cylinders next to each other in the greased pan.
  • Let the dough rise until it reaches the top of the pan (about 1 hour).
  • In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
  • Let the bread cool in the pan for few minutes and then carefully remove it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Once the bread has cooled down completely, slice it into thin slices and serve.

Notes

Expert tips
  • Potatoes and egg makes the dough enriched and hence the flavor and softness of the bread is amazing.
  • Check for freshness of yeast before continuing the recipe.
  • Let the dough proof enough for the flavor. Do not hurry the process.
  • Wait until the bread cools down before slicing. The center of the bread will still be very moist if we slice it too soon.

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 137IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!
« Hot Cross Buns | Eggless Recipe
Jan Hagel Cookies | Dutch Shortbread Cookies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vandana says

    April 06, 2022 at 12:25 pm

    5 stars
    Though I love cooking, baking is not my forte. I make only a few fail-proof baked dishes which I learned from my mother. I followed this recipe of yours and it turned out perfect. Everyone in the family loved it. Thanks for this amazing recipe.

    Reply
  2. Amrita Roy says

    April 04, 2022 at 4:30 am

    5 stars
    I am not very comfortable in baking bread, but your step by step instructions helped me to bake a beautiful irish frekle bread. Good I tried my hands on bread baking

    Reply
  3. Hayley Dhanecha says

    April 02, 2022 at 4:21 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely amazing and detailed recipe of Irish freckle bread! I am not a great baker, but your very detailed and easy step by step tutorial was good enough for me to bake this bread. Bread turned out so well and definitely going to bake again so soon.

    Reply
  4. Anshika Juneja says

    March 28, 2022 at 2:01 am

    5 stars
    This Irish bread looks super soft. Loved how you have made this bread from the scratch. Those slices just look so perfect. I just loved how you have given step by step instructions and pictures of the recipe. I am definitely going to bake it.

    Reply
  5. Seema Sriram says

    March 23, 2022 at 4:30 am

    5 stars
    WOw, I love the way how even the rolled pattern shows on the finished bread. Being not a frequent bread maker, my rolls did not look so perfect, but the taste was so good. I would even try this enriched sandwich bread idea you have given.

    Reply
  6. Mayuri Patel says

    March 22, 2022 at 7:52 pm

    5 stars
    Sandhya I had bookmarked your recipe for ages and finally got down to baking it for St. Patrick's Day. The Irish Freckle Bread was a hit with my guests when I served it for brunch.

    Reply
  7. Uma says

    March 18, 2022 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    We loved your Irish Freckle bread and it was so beautifully baked! The perfect treat for weekends! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  8. Seema Sriram says

    February 27, 2021 at 1:29 am

    5 stars
    Wow, you inspire me to bake bread. I love the way the double log has created the pattern and yes to the potato-based dough. simply exciting recipe, Sandhya.

    Reply
  9. Poonam bachhav says

    February 27, 2021 at 12:55 am

    5 stars
    Your Irish Freckle bread is so beautifully baked ! Looks just perfect. I love tje way you have enriched it with eggs amd potatoes. The double log has given such a beautiful shape to the loaf ! Worth giving a try.

    Reply
  10. Mayuri Patel says

    February 26, 2021 at 6:06 am

    5 stars
    Wow Sandhya, the bread looks really awesome.You've shaped it better than I have. Its been ages since I've baked Irish Freckle Bread. Your post is reminding me to bake this soft and delicious bread again.

    Reply
  11. Archana says

    February 23, 2021 at 7:21 am

    5 stars
    Wow! that is gorgeous bread! I love the way you shape it was actually wondering how it is shaped. Must try the bread ideal for the summer when I do not want to spend ages in the kitchen.

    Reply
    • Lata Lala says

      February 26, 2021 at 4:09 am

      5 stars
      I am quite lazy in baking breads, but after seeing you made this with so much of ease with detailed instructions, I am all charged up to make it soon.
      The bread looks fabulous.

      Reply
  12. Pavani says

    May 15, 2017 at 2:52 pm

    That is a gorgeous loaf of bread. Love those dry fruit peeking through.

    Reply
  13. Sapna says

    May 07, 2017 at 1:30 pm

    I have always bought it here from stores. Never knew it would be easy to bake at home. Going to bake it next week.

    Reply
  14. Kylee from Kylee Cooks says

    May 01, 2017 at 8:46 pm

    Wow, I'm a huge fan of bread at any time - but this, this is GORGEOUS. Super tall, with a beautiful crumb, and the addition of fruit - zomg, yum!!

    Reply
  15. swathi says

    May 01, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    This Irish Feckle bread looks delicious. with raisins bread never goes wrong. you are doing wonderful job with blogging marathon.

    Reply
  16. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

    May 01, 2017 at 3:47 pm

    The bread looks delicious. To me, bread is comfort food. I love the aroma and the texture. I don't even need anything with it. I think the freckles look so cute throughout the bread. I bet it would be delicious for breakfast. I'm saving this recipe.

    Reply
  17. Natalie says

    May 01, 2017 at 12:43 pm

    What an interesting bread recipe Sandhya. I love the addition of raisins. Texture is very lovely. Just delicious!

    Reply
  18. Amy says

    May 01, 2017 at 8:55 am

    This looks like wonderful bread with such great texture and flavor! I want a toasted piece right now!

    Reply
  19. ManilaSpoon says

    May 01, 2017 at 8:14 am

    That is such a delicious looking bread! I haven't had my breakfast as of this writing so I am imagining a slice or two of that bread smothered in butter and jam! YUM!

    Reply
  20. Donna says

    April 30, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    How fun! I grew up in Ireland, but I haven't heard of freckle bread before - I will have to try it out, it looks soft and delicious, and I just love the addition of the raisins!

    Reply
  21. Molly Kumar says

    April 30, 2017 at 8:11 pm

    Oh the Irish Freckle Bread looks so fluffy and well baked. I'd definitely try the recipe for a teatime or breakfast recipe. Love the addition of raisins here.

    Reply
  22. Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says

    April 29, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    Ok...where do I start here. I LOVE bread and potatoes. I find making homemade bread is so rewarding. Nothing beats the aroma of fresh baked bread. I would sub cranberries....and this would be the perfect bread for breakfast.

    Reply
  23. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says

    April 29, 2017 at 2:11 pm

    Love that you branched out and made something different and it came out beautifully. And I love the name freckle bread!

    Reply
  24. Sarah says

    April 29, 2017 at 1:47 pm

    I have never heard of Irish Freckle bread before, and it looks tasty! The dough is so interesting with the potatoes, too.

    Reply
  25. Eileen says

    April 29, 2017 at 9:39 am

    I love potato breads and I really love golden raisins. Your bread look so soft and tasty. Nice recipe!

    Reply
  26. Adriana Lopez Martn says

    April 28, 2017 at 11:41 pm

    I wish I had the talent to bake this bread looks amazing great to be eaten in so many ways =)

    Reply
  27. Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says

    April 28, 2017 at 8:49 pm

    I just love the name Irish Freckle Bread. So fun! Looks like a great recipe. Not much of a raisin fan, but this would make a great housewarming gift for a friend of mine.

    Reply
  28. Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says

    April 28, 2017 at 4:40 pm

    I've never actually made bread but my Mom used to bake it growing up. I never heard of using potato though. Sounds like a good idea. Looks like the perfect texture and I'm sure is so Yummy!

    Reply
  29. Veena Azmanov says

    April 28, 2017 at 4:29 pm

    I like adding potato in bread dough - I find that it makes the bread softer. This looks like such an awesome loft. So light in texture. Love it Sandhya so perfect.

    Reply
  30. peter @Feed Your Soul Too says

    April 28, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    I love your approach to going through the alphabet to make bread. that is so much and gives you the chance to be so creative. The bread looks really good too.

    Reply
  31. Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says

    April 19, 2017 at 10:56 am

    Love that perfect shape that you got there. Awesome bake.

    Reply
  32. Priya Suresh says

    April 15, 2017 at 11:10 am

    Awesome bread Sandhya, those slices looks just prefect to toast and enjpy with some butter and jam.

    Reply
  33. Sharmila - THe Happie Friends Potpourri Corner says

    April 14, 2017 at 7:01 am

    Love this .. i am bookmarking this.. Loved this awesome bake!!

    Reply
  34. Vaishali Sabnani says

    April 11, 2017 at 7:31 pm

    Sandhya the texture of the bread is absolutely fantastic . I love the double loaf look which on cutting looks awesome . Very interesting find for the alphabet .

    Reply
  35. harini says

    April 11, 2017 at 6:08 pm

    Fantastic bread Sandhya. I am sure we can use flaxmeal instead of the egg, right, Sandhya?

    Reply
  36. traditionallymodernfood says

    April 11, 2017 at 4:35 pm

    never prepared bread with potatoes this one looks super soft. two logs makes a beautiful bread .i m looking forward for your around the world post

    Reply
  37. Sowmya says

    April 11, 2017 at 3:45 pm

    This looks amazing Sandhya! Lovely find for I....my daughter will love this with all the raisins. Must bake soon

    Reply
  38. Srivalli Jetti says

    April 11, 2017 at 7:09 am

    Fantastic find Sandhya, the bread looks amazing!..will surely want to bake it myself soon! Do you think I can replace the egg with something else?..commercial egg replacer or flax seed meal?

    Reply

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I am Sandhya Ramakrishnan, author, recipe developer and photographer in this journey! 'My Cooking Journey' is all about family friendly Vegetarian and Vegan recipes from around the World with focus on Indian cuisine.

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