Well, here’s the other recipe I made for that St. Patrick’s Day dinner.  It has caraway seeds and raisins in it, which is the way all my friends’ moms made it when I was growing up.  I have to say, though, that the caraway seeds are definitely not a favorite.  So, by all means, leave them out, and the raisins, too, if you wish.  Apparently, most Irish cookbooks don’t even use them to begin with.  It’s just an American thing.

irish soda bread

2 cups (300g) golden raisins
3 cups (450g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (125g) cake flour
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/3 (290g) cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon melted butter

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees (190 degrees celsius).  Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with water.  Set aside.
2.  In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, salt, caraway seeds, and baking powder.   Stir to combine.  Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.   Set aside.
3.  Drain water from the raisins.  In the measuring cup or another small bowl, mix the baking soda, buttermilk, and the egg.  Use a wooden spoon to gradually mix the buttermilk mixture and raisins into the flour mixture.  Stir until mixture just comes together, then turn out onto a floured board.  Knead a few times until the dough becomes cohesive but not smooth.
4.  Work dough into an eight inch round and brush with melted butter.  Use a large sharp knife to score an “X” in the dough (Don’t cut more than about 1/2″ deep.).  Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
5.  Bake the bread for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

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8 Responses to “irish soda bread”

1. Jen T says:

   5 March 2009 at 1:53 pm

   This looks good. You can always add green food coloring and it would work on our table. Thanks!
2. Becki says:

   5 March 2009 at 5:02 pm

   So where do you find golden beets?
3. Jaime says:

   7 March 2009 at 10:41 pm

   I can find golden beets at really good health food stores such as Whole Foods.
4. Blond Duck says:

   8 March 2009 at 7:09 am

   Hi! Brooke from Conversations with Cupcakes nominated you to be a featured creative woman on my blog. If you’d like to be featured, just e-mail me or contact me through my Web site and we’ll get started!
5. Theresa says:

   10 March 2009 at 7:09 pm

   Thanks Jaime!
6. elra says:

   10 March 2009 at 10:52 pm

   Beautiful, whenever I need a quick bread, my choice always Iris soda bread. I should remember to add some raisins to it. Of course mine is always much simpler then your recipe.
   Cheers,
   elra
7. Elyse says:

   10 March 2009 at 11:43 pm

   I just might leave those caraway seeds out. But, whether they’re in or out, that doesn’t change how delicious this Soda Bread looks. We’re talking uber-scrumptious-looking good!! Can’t wait to try this recipe. So glad I found your blog on Stumble! It’s great!!
8. Jude says:

   14 March 2009 at 11:02 am

   Nice crust. I also made irish soda bread recently, but without the raisins