Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, (see Notes)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup golden raisins, optional
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons caraway seeds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place rack in the center of the oven. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Add buttermilk, melted butter, and raisins or caraway seeds, if desired. Stir until incorporated.
- Knead the dough with your hands just until it forms a cohesive ball. Divide dough into 2 evenly-sized loaves and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a large X on the top of each loaf.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through. You may need to cover the bread with foil during the last 5 minutes of baking to avoid overbrowning. When cooked through, the internal temperature of your bread should be about 190 degrees.
Notes
In the A Bountiful Kitchen Cookbook, we list two buttermilk substitutions:
Mix ½ cup plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt (whole is best) and ½ cup milk (we prefer whole) or
Pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup and add enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let sit for 5 minutes. (it's essential to let the mixture sit at least 5 minutes before using.)