Yesterday I made my annual batch of Irish soda bread for St. Patrick’s Day. The same recipe I’ve been making for 19 years. The only change I’ve made in all those years is to substitute gluten-free flour for all purpose.
Until yesterday.
Because I’m also trying to limit dairy and eggs, I opted to use a plant butter instead. I also increased the recipe to make three smaller loaves instead of one large loaf so my husband could take some to work.
The first thing I noticed once everything was mixed together was that the dough was wetter than usual. (Soda bread is a dryer dough, more like a biscuit dough.) I couldn’t even brush on the egg wash or score the tops because they were too sticky wet.
I put the loaves into the oven, fairly certain they were going to be a failure. After 20 minutes, I took them out to brush on the egg wash and noticed that the loaves were spreading out and losing their shape, becoming a little flatter. Another indication that this was likely not going to end well.
Still, I put the loaves back in the oven to finish baking.
Although I had little hope for successful soda bread, I will say this: The loaves were a beautiful golden brown when I pulled them out. It was something. I kept my fingers crossed.
The real test came later when we cut into a loaf and gave it a taste.
Holy crap! The soda bread was even better than usual. Sure the loaf was a bit misshapen and rather flat, but the texture and flavor were wonderful. The moister crumb was a welcome change. So good!
Sure, I could have beaten myself up for producing a less-than-perfect Irish soda bread. The truth is, though, the recipe I have been using for almost two decades isn’t a traditional soda bread to begin with. So why not embrace the positive change?
It’s human nature to focus on the negative. We often view anything that hasn’t gone “just right” as a failure. In fact, something positive comes from every mistake. Possibly multiple positive things.
So next time you’re beating yourself up over something that didn’t work out, ask yourself this:
What is one good thing that came from [fill in the blank] not working out as I had planned?
The gift in this inquiry is that you’ll start to see that you have many more successes than you imagined. It will also encourage you to try new things without worrying as much about “getting it right”; because however things work out, it will always be right.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🍀
P.S. In case you're wondering why the dough was wetter with the plant butter, I believe it's because it has a lower melting point and so liquified faster in the batter.