Two weeks from now, we will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day. The day reminds me of a trip my boyfriend and I took to Ireland.

I have vivid memories of driving the narrow roads of the Ring of Kerry, creeping up to peer over the steep Cliffs of Moher and biking through the Aran Islands, and eating fish and chips wrapped in sheets of newspaper, and having hearty breakfasts at the bed-and-breakfasts.

Some of the best breads I have ever tasted were on this trip. One in particular was Irish soda bread.

The bread stems from a time in rural Ireland when baking soda was much more widely used than yeast as leavening, because the type of wheat flour that was most widely available — a "soft" wheat — responded well to baking soda.

Most of the soda breads that I ate were plain breakfast breads. In the south of Ireland, people tend to make cakey breads, while in the north they make "farl," or griddle cakes, a flatter bread. Fruits are sometimes added and then it becomes "tea bread."

It is a simple bread to make if you follow one important rule: Do not over-knead.

Here's my healthier version, made with whole-wheat flour and low-fat margarine. You can use any dried fruit you prefer. I like to make mine with local fruits and serve with local jams and jellies like guava, liliko'i, starfruit, poha or 'ohelo berry. It also freezes well and makes great toast.

FRUITISH IRISH SODA BREAD