INGREDIENTS FOR iRISH SODA BREAD:
·
4 to 4 1/2 cups
flour
·
1 Tbsp sugar
·
1 teaspoon salt
·
1 teaspoon baking
soda
·
4 Tbsp butter
·
1 cup currants or
raisins
·
1 large egg,
lightly beaten
·
1 3/4 cups
buttermilk
DIRECTIONS
1 Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking
soda: Preheat oven to 425°F.
Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large
mixing bowl.
2 Work the butter into the flour, add
currants or raisins: Using your
(clean) fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles
coarse meal, then add in the currants or raisins.
3 Make a well, mix in buttermilk, egg: Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until
dough is too stiff to stir.
4 Lightly knead dough and form dough mound: Dust hands with a little flour, then gently
knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is
too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead!
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape
into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite
shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough).
You want to work it just enough so that the
flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is
good. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.
5 Score with an X: Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a
baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet).
Using a serrated knife, score top of dough
about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. The purpose of the
scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks.
6 Bake: Transfer
to oven and bake at 425°F until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when
tapped, about 35-45 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little
longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.)
Check for doneness also by inserting a
long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the
bread with some aluminum foil.
Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to
cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It's
easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Cool the handle with an ice
cube, or put a pot holder over it.
7 Let cool a few minutes: Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the
sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly.
Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or
sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.
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