irish soda bread

Irish soda bread is a standard for st. Patrick's day.  we enjoyed the traditional recipe for dinner, along with green eggs and ham, and cabbage and leek gratin. this recipe is very similar to a scone recipe and takes about one hour to bake in the oven.  golden raisins could be substituted if desired.

here is the recipe for the bread:  preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix 3 1/4 cups flour with 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp baking soda.  Add 1 tsp salt in the large bowl.  Next, cut in 1/2 cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter into the mixture until fine and crumbly.  Add 1 1/3 cups of buttermilk and 1/2 cup of raisins.

Place dough on a flat surface, lightly flour and knead until smooth. Shape into a round loaf, no more than 2 inches in thickness.  Place on a greased baking sheet.
Mark and "X" on the top of the loaf with a knife.  Sprinkle with more sugar.

Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.  Cool slightly and serve. This is a wonderful easy non-yeast bread that can be made in just over one hour.  Very tasty too!