Irish Soda Bread

Everyone thinks they have THE BEST recipe for Irish soda bread. This is the recipe my mom follows. She turns out over a dozen of these every St. Patrick’s Day, to share with family, friends and neighbors. I’ve cut the recipe down to only make one, because Mom makes a bunch at a time.

Now, some people make their soda bread without the caraway seeds, but it’s just not the same if you leave those out. I’ve been known to add extra.

If you’d like to make soda bread just like Mom is still making, try this recipe!

4 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/8 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups raisins, soaked in a little water to plump them up
1 tablespoon caraway seed
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I use instant powdered buttermilk, and mix the powder with the dry ingredients and the water with the egg.)

Reserve 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg.
Grease a 2-quart casserole dish (round or square, doesn’t matter). Preheat oven to 350.
Mix flour, sugar, powder, soda, salt with fork. Add butter, raisins, caraway.
Mix egg & buttermilk in separate bowl. Add to flour mix. Stir until sticky.
Knead on floured surface 10 times. Divide dough.
Shape into ball. Place in casserole dish.
Cut an X in top, about 1/4 inch deep.
Brush top with egg.
Bake 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool in dish 10 minutes; remove to rack to cool completely.

Yield: I loaf, about 20 slices.

Image credit: By Slick (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons