Well, St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone. It was another festive weekend of eating all sorts of cabbage, mashed potatoes and soda bread. I made a loaf of the bread yesterday and thought I’d share the recipe here. It’s a really good one, but it’s not the authentic Irish version that contains only four ingredients. What I have to share today is the American version with two types of flour, raisins and caraway seeds. Trust me, this version is better.
The Recipe
There are tons of different methods for making soda bread. Just choose one and go with it. If you don’t like that version, try something else. But when you do find one you like, keep that recipe and make that bread every year. It’s such an easy bread to pull off that there’s no reason not to.
Today’s version is very good. The bread is more moist that many other types and there’s really not a lot that can go wrong with it. I added raisins as a flair and some caraway seeds for some flavor. This is the perfect bread to enjoy with a pat of butter on top. It really is.
Ingredients
Makes: 1 Loaf
3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Cake Flour
1/4 Cup Granulated White Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Regular Table Salt
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened in 1 Tablespoon Pieces
1 1/4 Cups Buttermilk
1 Large Egg, Lightly Whisked
1 Cup Raisins
1 Tablespoon Caraway Seeds
Step-by-Step Instructions
This is a culmination of a few different recipes I’ve used to make soda bread in the past. Since I enjoy this one the most, this is the one I prepare every year.
Pre-Heat Oven
Adjust the oven racks so one is in the middle position and then warm the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine Dry Ingredients
Add both types of flour, the sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the hook attachment, combine these ingredients for a minute or so.
After that, add the butter to the bowl and mix everything until you don’t see the butter lumps anymore.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Next, add the buttermilk, egg, raisins and caraway seeds to the bowl and mix just until the ingredients come together. You don’t want to overmix this dough because that will create a gluten complex that won’t work out. Combine with the mixer for a few seconds and then by hand if necessary. Just until there are no more dry parts of the dough.
Place Dough in Pan
You can use anything you want for this step, but I prefer to use my cast iron pans. It just looks so cool. With extra flour if necessary (so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands), form the dough so it’s a round disk that’s about two inches high in the greased pan of your choice. Then, make two cuts across the top of the dough that are in the shape of an X and that are about 1/2 inch deep.
Bake the Bread
Place the pan or skillet in the oven and let bake for 45 minutes. Begin checking on the bread after 35 minutes to be sure everything is going well. You can tell if it’s finished by the nice golden color of the crust and if there is no wet dough if you insert a toothpick in it’s center. Once finished, remove the dough from the oven and turn off the heat. It’s finished.
Plate & Serve
When it’s cooled off a bit, go ahead and make a few slices and add a few pats of butter. Serve and enjoy!
The Final Soda Bread
This is a very straightforward recipe, so you shouldn’t have any trouble with it. I think you’ll enjoy it. If you give this one a try, please let me know what you think in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
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