Authentic Irish Soda Bread

My mother-in-law’s dear friend Ann hails from County Clare, Ireland, and she was kind enough to share her Irish Soda Bread recipe with me.  The recipe is a family recipe that Ann’s mother and grandmother used to make from memory, so when Ann came to NY, she decided to write this recipe down for future use.  This bread is easy to make and is extremely versatile – – you can eat it plain or you can toast it with butter and jam.  This bread freezes well too, so make an extra loaf for future use (my mother-in-law and I baked 5 loaves yesterday!)  Thank you to Ann and my mother-in-lawlor for sharing this recipe with me!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP caraway seeds (optional)
• 1 c raisins
• 1 egg
• 1 c buttermilk
• 2 TBSP butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and caraway seeds.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 10 seconds.
4. Add the egg, raisins, and buttermilk to the butter and mix well.
5. Add the egg mix to the flour mix and mix until incorporated.  If too sticky, add flour to make dough workable.
6. On a floured surface, knead the dough for 1 minute.  Form the dough into a loaf and place in a greased 9 x 5 pan.
7. Bake the bread for 1 hour or until golden on top.