Aggie's Irish Soda Bread

Time

Ingredients

Ingredients

3 cups unbleached white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 tbsp. cold, sweet butter (1-1/2 sticks)
2 cups raisins, preferably gold
1 egg
1/2 cup honey
1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add. Cut it into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture is the size of peas. Add the raisins and toss to distribute evenly, using two forks.

Beat the egg in another bowl until very frothy. Beat in the honey. When it is well blended, beat in the buttermilk.

Gradually pour the liquids into the flour, tossing all the while with a fork so the mixture gets evenly moistened. Continue tossing lightly with two forks until the batter comes together; it doesn’t have to be completely mixed and should be very rough and lumpy.

Butter a heavy skillet or casserole, 10 to 11 inches in diameter and 2 to 3 inches deep. Round is the traditional shape. Spoon batter somewhat in the middle. Bake at 350 F. about an hour or until the middle is set. Cut out a piece to test if necessary.

Cut into wedges and serve warm from the pan. Serves 12, more or less.

The Garden Way Bread Book A Baker’s Almanac

Author's Comments

On the outside: brown and crusty. On the inside: sweet, crumbly, and opulently crowded with raisins.<br />
<br />
Serve it for breakfast or supper with a pot of fresh sweet butter. And serve it to a lot of people so you won’t eat at all yourself.

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1 Recipe Reviews

cryrocookieho

cryrocookieho reviewed Aggie's Irish Soda Bread on April 6, 2008

This is my first time making soda bread. Is it typically supposed to be very crumbly? The taste was good, but I didn't much care for the texture. Over the next couple of days it held together better, and was pretty good toasted.