An Irish Soda Bread Day

Irish Soda Bread is one of the first recipes I recall making as a child. I made a loaf the other day and fell in love with the bread once again. I found some recipes online and using a few of them came up with this one.

Quick and Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk

• 1 large egg

• 4 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 TS sugar

• 1 ts baking soda

• 1 ts salt

• 5 TS unsalted butter, cold and cubed

• 1 to 2 cups raisins (you can eye-ball this; I like a lot of raisins, you might want less)

• 1 ts caraway seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-10 inch cake pan or pie plate/dish. Or you can place a piece of parchment paper on top of a baking stone. (I used a baking stone I have from Pampered Chef.)

Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. Work the dough until into coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture.

Fold the dough together until dough it is too stiff to stir. With floured hands on a lightly floured surface, work the dough into an (approximately) 8 or 9 inch round loaf. Knead the dough lightly. Make sure all the flour is moistened.

Place the dough onto/into the prepared pan/stone/pan. With a sharp knife, make an X into the top. (You can melt 4 TS of butter and brush it on the top at this time if you would like.) Sprinkle with caraway seeds.

Bake for 45 minutes until the bread is golden brown. Test the center with a chopstick or toothpick to make sure it has been baked through.

Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Cut a slice, spread real butter on it, and enjoy!