I previously posted the recipe I made for St. Patrick's Day and I wanted to share the recipe we made for our Irish Soda Bread. Soda bread uses baking soda as the leavening agent in the bread, and there are many different varieties, not only from Ireland, from this bread. Sometimes you see the bread in loaf form cut in to slices, circle loaf cut into wedges and even with raisins. I opted not to use raisins in my bread because Ron does not care for them (I love them!). This recipe created gave a biscuit like texture to the bread which Ron and I really enjoyed. I think I would have enjoyed raisins in the bread, and I will give it a try next time. The recipe calls to bake on a baking sheet, but I used a pie plate and it worked perfectly for a round loaf. I also added caraway seeds to the bread for a little extra flavor.
This was a delicious addition to our Holiday meal!
Simple Irish Soda Bread
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a pie dish.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, caraway seeds, raisins (if using) and butter. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk** and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place in prepared pie dish. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 30-45 minutes. Check for doneness beginning at 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes for a buttery crust.
**If you do not have buttermilk use the following substitution: 1 cup butter milk= 1 cup of milk and a Tbl of lemon juice. Allow mixture to stand for 5 minutes prior to use**