Irish Soda Bread

This month for Secret Recipe Club I was assigned The Harried Cook.  Marsha's blog has lots of different baked goods, delicious looking scones, muffins and cookies that are totally worth checking out. I wanted to find something for St Patrick's day since we are only a week away and I was in luck when I came across Marsha's recipe for Irish Soda Bread. I usually buy Irish Soda Bread from the food store in the days leading up to St. Patrick's Day. I like to put a slice in the toaster oven for breakfast with a little bit of butter. ShopRite's version of it has raisins and since that's what I'm used to eating, I decided to add raisins to my loaf. I really enjoy the little bit of sweetness they add to the bread. This recipe make a huge loaf which is great if you've got a lot of mouths to feed or like to share your baked goods with other people. I love that this is a bread you can make without yeast and the time it takes to wait for it to rise. In fact since I still have the buttermilk in the fridge I may just make another loaf to eat with our corned beef and cabbage next week.

Ingredients:

4 Cups Bread Flour

4 Tbsp Sugar

1 1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

4 Tbsp I Can't Believe it's not Butter - cold & diced

2 Cups Cold Reduced Fat Buttermilk 

1 Egg

1 Cup Raisins

A little all purpose flour for kneading

Preheat oven to 400. Put parchment paper or something similar down on your baking tray, if you don't have either you can grease your baking tray with butter or spray it with Pam. In a small bowl combine the wet ingredients (buttermilk and egg). Set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in your mixer bowl (flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda). Mix on a slow speed until combined. Add the diced up cold butter and mix again on a low speed.

Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while the mixer is running on a low speed. Only allow the dough to mix until it is just combined. Do not over mix the dough. It will be wet and lumpy but that's what you want. 

Add the raisins and gently mix them in using a spatula.

Transfer the dough onto a well floured surface to knead. Knead the dough which will disperse the raisins more throughout the whole loaf. Form the dough into s round loaf and transfer it onto the baking tray shaking off some of the flour.Using a serrated knife cut an X into the dough.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the whole loaf is golden brown. The base of the loaf should sound hollow when knocked on the counter.Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve. Keep wrapped in foil until used.

Enjoy!!

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