Irish Soda Bread

This bread is so delicious and moist. I used to work at a popular grocery chain and I think it has so much better flavor than theirs and is WAY cheaper and easy to make yourself. Now you don't have to wait for St. Patrick's Day to have this bread, make it any time for a special treat with dinner or even with breakfast.

Irish Soda Bread

3-1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking Powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) COLD butter (If your butter isn't cold, the dough is way too soft and is hard to shape and work with.)
1-1/3 cups buttermilk (I use powdered buttermilk and water)
1/2 cup currants or raisins( I use raisins)
1 tbsp. caraway seeds (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk, raisins or currants, and caraway seeds if using; mix just until moistened.

2) Place dough on floured surface; knead 10 times. Shape into round loaf, 2-1/2 inches thick. Place on greased baking sheet. Cut deep 1/2-inch "X" in top of dough. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar. (I like to use the turbinado, large crystal sugar for the topping.)


My dough was a little soft, so the "X" wasn't as noticeable.

3) Bake 1 hour or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into wedges to serve.


I like to serve this with butter and a sprinkling of more turbinado sugar. Yumm!


This is the picture from the original recipe. It's a little better than mine.



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