#251 soda bread with figs, star anise, and orange

from otk: shelf love

see, this recipe right here is exactly why i’m cooking my way through cookbooks. i did not think that i would like this very much. dried fruits are fine but not exciting to me, and i really don’t know if i even like the flavor of star anise. but i loved it here! it’s so complex and harmonious: rich bread, dried figs, star anise, cinnamon and orange. it’s a little sweet and honestly just perfect with a generous smear of good butter. i also thought quick breads were basically something you make because of convenience and not because they are that great, but again, i was wrong. the texture was delicate, crumbly, a little cake like and very crunchy on the outside. not a substitute for a regular yeasted bread, but something different entirely with its own place. this recipe is a good one.