irish soda bread

happy st. patrick's day! in honor of today and my irish heritage, i wanted to share my family's favorite recipe for irish soda bread. in my experience with soda bread, i've found it (often) to be very dry and crumbly (which i'm personally not crazy about). not so with this recipe. this   produces a cake-like bread that is so deliciously moist. and just perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack : )

best soda bread ever! (adapted from a silver palate recipe)

6 tablespoons sweet butter
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 to 1¼ cups granulated sugar
1½ dried currents or raisins
1¾ cups buttermilk (or 1¾ cup milk with 2 tablespoons vinegar)
2 eggs, well beaten

1) smear 2 tablespoons of butter evenly in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. line the buttered skillet with a circle of waxed paper. melt 2 more tablespoons butter in a separate pan and set aside.

2) preheat oven to 350 degrees

3) sift dry ingredients together. add currents or raisins to dry ingredients and toss well to coat.

4) whisk together buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. add to dry ingredients and mix just until blended.

5) spoon better into the prepared skillet and smooth top gently with a spatula. dot the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
6) bake until golden brown and puffed, about 60 minutes. cool slightly, remove from skillet, and cool completely on a rack. or serve warm directly from the skillet. cut into wedges. smear with butter. enjoy!




credit [here]

 

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