Judged the best by the Ancient Order of Hibernians James A. Curran Division One of Hampden-Hampshire counties.
Tracy A. Trial in her Holyoke kitchen with her son, Dax Trial, 4.
Editor's note: This story appears in The Republican's "The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts."
It was Tracy A. Trial's entry that rose to the top of the judges' list, garnering her a first-place in the Irish soda bread contest at the 2012 "Summer Picnic Hibernian Style," sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians James A. Curran Division One of Hampden-Hampshire counties, at the Wherehouse? in Holyoke.
Tracy A. Trial, as a child with her grandparents Eleanor Mahoney LaBroad and William LaBroad, circa 1975 in East Longmeadow.
There were nine entries - seven from Holyoke, one from Springfield, one from Somers, Conn. Three were from men. They were taste tested by 20 judges selected from among the attendees.
"It was very exciting," said Trial, of Holyoke, about winning the contest. "I felt kind of like a dark horse, though, because I'm not a Hibernian."
Trial's been making Irish soda bread from her paternal grandmother's recipe for years for her father, John LaBroad, of Westfield, and he urged her to enter the contest.
"I'm not a real connoisseur of soda bread," Trial said, but she tweaked her recipe from the late Irish-born Eleanor Mahoney LaBroad, who was from the village of Cahersiveen on the Iveragh Peninsula (Ring of Kerry) and was raised in Springfield.
Trial used fresh local buttermilk and substituted a generous handful of golden raisins for the dark raisins she normally uses.
"I thought they'd be more appealing to a wider group of people," she said.
Various forms of soda bread are popular throughout Ireland.
The bread uses baking soda as a raising agent rather than the more common yeast. Other ingredients include flour, salt and buttermilk. Some people like to add raisins or nuts or even caraway seeds as in LaBroad's recipe.
Not all the breads entered in the contest were the traditional round loaf with a cross cut into the top; one was shaped like a banana bread and one had frosting; some had dried cherries or currants in them.
"The people at the picnic were encouraged to try all the entries as soon as the contest was over, and many agreed that the winner was, in fact, the best," said Paula A. Paoli, president of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Division One and vice president of the board at the state level.
An organizer of the contest, Paoli graciously admitted that she had two entries, one of which didn't even get one vote.
She enjoyed the "variety of shapes and overall appearance of the soda breads."
"No two Irish soda breads are alike. It's more of a rivalry," said Paul F. Hogan, division president and vice president of the board at the state level.
Many members of both the OAH or LAOH or their family members make Irish soda bread.
"I've seen how people think their mother's recipe is the best," Paoli said. "Everybody is very adamant that it's got to be their family recipe that's the best."
Second prize went to Linda Sullivan, of Somers.
The following is Eleanor Mahoney LaBroad's Irish soda bread given in her memory by Tracy A. Trial.
Nanny Ellie's (Eleanor Mahoney LaBroad) Irish soda bread
1 tablespoon caraway seed
3 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup raisins (or more to taste)
1 cup buttermilk
Mix everything except milk. Add milk until consistency is similar to mashed potatoes. Turn out onto floured board and knead lightly with floured hands for one minute.
Shape into round loaf and place in greased 8-inch layer cake pan. Slash top with "x x x". Sprinkle additional caraway seeds on top if desired.
Bake 325 to 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Test center for doneness with knife or toothpick.
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