Irish Soda Bread

this recipe was shared with us by Karen Emerson

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submitted by Karen Emerson

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

3 cups cake flour, plus more for the currants and for flouring your surface
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1 cup dried currants
1 Tbsp. caraway seeds
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix until butter seems to disappear into the flour.

Dust the currants lightly with flour and stir currants and caraway seeds into the flour mixture.

Beat the egg into the buttermilk. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a spoon just until everything is moistened.

Pour dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle dough with a little flour. Fold dough over itself until it sticks together adding flour as needed. You are not really needing the dough and should stop folding and adding flour when it stops sticking to your hands.

Shape into a round loaf and put on prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 20 minutes more or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Let cool a little before serving.

Karen says: I read that the cross was cut into the top with a knife, to ward off evil and protect the household. I baked mine in an iron skillet but you don't have to. I've baked it on a pizza stone and even on a cookie sheet.