They was a lot of attention given to that idea Tammy...back in the 1970s. There were quite a few articles written about that very subject in the old Organic Gardening magazine, the ones that were printed on recycled newspapers - no color glossies, very few ads and lots of great articles about things that showed you how to grow food and flowers and be more self-sufficient. How you could produce-more-with less, and make-it-yourself-with-what-you've-got-on-hand. At that time, Grow Lights also came into being and greenhouses really popped up everywhere. Cold Frames and Compost piles and building Burmed Houses out of recycled materials with Skylights and ceiling fans and Solar Panels. And a whole lot more. Save energy - Save the Earth - Grow your own, feed the world and Live in PEACE! ~Annie

1. They are all quick breads which require low-gluten flour/s and little mixing. They all depend on the fat to shorten the gluten strands. 2. Scones vary widely in texture, shape, size, and flavor. They can vary from (soft) cookielike to cakelike in texture and from savory to sweet in flavor. Making them is similar to making biscuits. Scones can be rolled, shaped, or dropped, but the mixing method is about the same. Scones contain eggs as well as milk or cream, which makes them richer than biscuits. They may also contain pieces of dried fruits, unlike biscuits. a. Mix the dry ingredients together. b. Cut the chilled butter into the dry ingredients - this is done to shorten the gluten in the flour. Everywhere the butter coats the flour, the liquid will not be able to be absorbed by the flour, thus making short, or shortening, the strands of gluten. If the fat is cold and the mixture resembles a coarse meal, this will contribute to a flaky texture. c. Mix the liquid ingredients together (beat the egg lightly and add the milk/cream) and any other liquid ingredients, and add all at once to the dry ingredients, then stir to combine. Some recipes call for a little kneading to help develop the gluten, but avoid overkneading the dough because this will produce a tough scone. d. Judge the recipe... A high butter or sugar content in the dough will help inhibit the formation of gluten and produce a more tender product. 3. BISCUITS also rely on the fat for shortening the gluten formation. The method of mixing is similar to scones. There is less liquid in biscuits than most scones and biscuit dough usually requires a little kneading to develop the gluten because of the lack of liquid. a. The dough is then rolled. A thickness of 1/4-inch for plain biscuits, 1/2 inch or less for tea biscuits, and 1 inch or more for shortcake. Then it is cut into rounds or squares. b. Drop biscuits have more liquid than cut biscuits. 4. MUFFINS - The ratio of liquid to flour is higher than either scones or biscuits. The batter needs to be placed in a pan that forms the muffin, unlike scones/biscuits which will hold their shape once free formed or cut to form. a. There are two types of mixing methods for muffins. b. Traditional muffin-making: all the steps are geared to minimize mixing, and therefore gluten formation in the flour. The fat is most often in liquid form, either melted shortening or an oil. It's usually mixed with eggs and the liquids, then added all at once to the dry ingredients. Since fat affects tenderness, muffins with a high fat content not only taste rich, they also have a soft crumb. c. Stir muffin batter only until the dry ingredients are lightly moistened (NO ELECTRIC MIXERS PLEASE, or you'll end up with tunnels inside from overmixing). The batter SHOULD be lumpy as it's spooned into the muffin pans - even to the point some bits of dry ingredients are still remaining in the batter. d. Muffins made by creaming fat and sugar will be more tender, but they are also more cakelike. This is the second mixing method. -Grainlady

Hey Glenda! It looks like you had whole peas with that last meal. They must really go for peas in Ireland. Their climate is a bit cool, so peas must grow well over there. Didn't the Brown Bread ever have raisins in it. My mother's did, and I love raisins. Your recipe isn't complicated. I remember Mom baked it in a peach can that she set into water in a pan in the oven. OH, I'm sure there must be a better way to state that sentence lol! I'm beginning to get very hungry for Brown Bread. We use to be able to buy it at the grocery. It came in a tin can. You had to open both ends to slide it out. I haven't looked for it in decades (DH wont eat raisins.)

Just as sleeperblues shared, Aldi had a boxed mix, and it wouldn't surprise me if they move it to the clearance rack after this week - so get there fast if you want a boxed mix. Hubby's favorite is "Milo O'Sullivan's Currant-Nutmeg Soda Bread", but also manages to choke-down "Whole-Meal Irish Soda Bread". If St. Patrick's Day falls on a Friday or Saturday, we have a hooley (party) and I bake at least 3 or 4 kinds of soda bread. Our favorite is a traditional Irish scone "Oat Farls" (that's an "L" between the r and s, not a "T" ;-) and are similar to Scottish oatcakes. Thankfully, I managed to adapt it to a gluten-free version and that's what we had for breakfast on St. Patrick's Day. This King Arthur Flour recipe is also a favorite, and easy to make - and are best made with currents, not raisins. This recipe is especially good if you are feeding a lot of people, and it keeps better than soda bread. "Irish Soda Bread Muffins" http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/irish-soda-bread-muffins-recipe