Irish Soda Bread

It seems that St. Patrick's day has expanded beyond just March 17 and consumed the month of March, but fear not; there are many good Irish recipes to enjoy. Of course, the classic St. Patrick's day recipe is Corned Beef and Cabbage. But, following a close second is Irish Soda Bread. When I found this version among Grandma's recipes, I had to give it a try because this recipe calls for more buttermilk than the standard recipes I have seen. While soda bread is most common around St. Patrick's day, it is so easy to make that it should be enjoyed year-round.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread, at least the version common in America, contains raisins. I often leave the raisins out because someone I know is not a fan of raisins. But, when I made this recipe, I included the golden raisins, and there were no complaints. I understand that in Ireland, soda bread is sometimes called brown soda bread because it is often made with whole wheat flour. Usually, the soda bread is shaped into a round loaf and baked on a cookie sheet or round pan. Then, a cross should be cut into the top of the bread before baking to allow the thicker part of the bread to cook evenly.

Grandma's Irish Soda Bread

• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 egg
• 2 cups (about) buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, soda and sugar. Cut butter into the flour mixture. Rinse and drain the raisins, then sprinkle with flour and add into the flour and butter mixture. Slightly beat egg and add enough buttermilk to equal one cup and add to mixture. Then add one more cup of buttermilk. The dough will be sticky, so it may be necessary to flour your hands before handling the dough. Combine well and form into a ball on a cookie sheet or a greased and floured pan. Let the bread rise for half an hour. Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting. Enjoy!