Irish Soda Bread with Raisins
Even if you’re a little reluctant to make your own bread, soda bread is so easy you should give it a try–and homemade soda bread is so much better than what you’ll find in a typical grocery store. With no yeast or fussy fermentation, no rolling or cutting, soda bread is even easier to make than muffins or biscuits.
Yield: 1 large loaf or 2 smaller loavesPrep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Ingredients:
| 4 cups | unbleached all purpose flour |
| 1 teaspoon | table salt |
| 2 tablespoons | granulated sugar |
| 1/2 teaspoon | baking soda |
| 1.5 teaspoon | baking powder |
| 3 tablespoons | butter, softened to room temperature |
| 1 cup | raisins |
| 2 cups | buttermilk |
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F convection or 375°F regular.
Sift or whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder.
Use your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients until there are no pieces larger than the size of a pea.
Toss the raisins with the dry ingredients.
Add the buttermilk all at once and mix until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated. The dough may seem dry at this point but it will come together.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead about 15-20 times to form a smooth ball.
Place the loaf onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Use your hands to flatten the ball slightly.
Use a sharp knife to cut a 1/2"-3/4" deep X into the top of the loaf.
Brush the loaf with buttermilk.
Bake until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom or the middle of the loaf is about 190°F. Bake about 45 minutes to an hour.
Source: baking-sense.com
