BUTTE - When it comes to Butte, we all know all about the pasty, of course, the pork chop sandwich, but this time of year, you can’t forget about traditional Irish soda bread. Now, they make it every day at Shawn O’Donnell’s Irish Pub and Grill, but right now, kitchens in Butte are wafting with the smell of this tradition that goes as deep in Butte as the mines themselves.
WATCH: Butte's Irish soda bread tradition runs as deep as the mines ahead of St. Patrick's Day
“Well, soda bread was brought to America by Irish immigrants; it was a recipe that was brought and found predominantly in Irish enclaves such as Butte, Montana,” Shawn O’Donnell’s Irish Pub owner Irish Johnny said.
It’s a tradition that stemmed from poverty and is a symbol of Irish resilience.
“It would lend itself well to a hearth fire, an open fire, that when I grew up in Ireland, that's how we would have baked, not in a modern oven, so the idea is to use soda instead of yeast in the baking process,” Irish Johnny said.
It’s a staple at Shawn O’Donnell’s.
“The dough is mixed up almost every day, sometimes twice a day. If you're having it here, most likely it’s fresh out of the oven that day and, I think that makes all the difference,” Cook Daniel Hogan said.
As part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration, the pub will host a soda bread contest on March 15th at 3 p.m. People are invited to bring their best soda bread, which will be judged by three local people in several categories.
“Originality, flavor, texture, and presentation,” Irish Johnny said.
Just about everyone in Butte knows someone who has a soda bread recipe.
“My wife is almost full-blooded Irish, so she’s made it before. I don’t even know the recipe. She’s always a good baker; she never was a good cook, but she’s getting better,” Butte resident Mark Winning said.
