Recipe of the Week- Irish Soda Bread

To go along with the St. Patty’s theme here, I thought I would feature my favorite Irish recipe. I have a cousin-in-law who is 100% Irish, so like all other Irish Americans, she’s extremely proud of her roots and thinks St. Patrick’s Day is better than Christmas. So it’s no surprise that she makes one amazing loaf of Irish Soda Bread, and was kind enough to share her recipe.

What You Need:
· 3 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 tbsp. baking powder
· 1/3 cup sugar
· ¼ cup butter melted
· 1 tsp. baking soda
· 1 tsp. salt
· 1 large egg
· 2 cups buttermilk
· 3/4 cup raisins (optional)

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Stir flours, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a big mixing bowl.
4. Add butter, (use hands to rub in).
5. Next, whisk egg and buttermilk together in a smaller bowl. Add to the flour mixture, stirring until just blended.
6. Add raisins and stir
7. Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead several times, then form a loaf.
8. Transfer to the prepared 9x5 loaf pan. Sprinkle a tbsp. of sugar on top.
9. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best results.

Best way to eat it, toasted with butter.

-Terri Conroy
Who says- “If you’re lucky enough to be Irish…you’re lucky enough”



(picture from about.com)