Irish Soda Bread

I'd like to start off by announcing that I am aware my recipe is not a "traditional" Irish Soda Bread recipe. I have made a fruited Soda Bread for my blog, because this variety is most commonly found in the United States. Traditional Irish Soda Bread has four ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. This bread would typically be eaten with cheese or maybe some butter. I will make a traditional Soda Bread recipe on an upcoming rainy spring day and post it up on my blog. 

For today, I have a stellar Fruited Soda Bread! It may be ugly (due to the wetness of the dough), but it is truly an easy, yet impressive recipe! By "fruited", I mean that I have added zest, dried fruit, and a bit of sugar to the dough. I also drizzled a little honey over the top of the bread for some added sweetness. This bread didn't last 24 hours in my household. The dough is fairly wet, which creates a dense and moist bread with a crispy golden brown crust. Soda Bread requires NO yeast, which makes it a snap to pull together. I hope you give this recipe a try!

Ingredients:

4 C. AP flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 T. sugar

1/2 stick salted butter cut into .5 inch chunks

1 2/3 C. buttermilk

1 Large egg

All the zest of two large oranges

3/4 cups raisins ( or dried currants or cranberries)

Optional: Honey for drizzling over the warm bread

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 375. Butter a baking sheet or line with parchment.

2)Whisk together all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar) in a standing mixer or large bowl. 

3) In a small bowl, add a generous pinch of flour to the raisins. Mix the raisins until they are coated evenly with flour. Set aside. 

4) In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, zest, and buttermilk. 

5) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. If using a standing mixer, mix on low with the paddle attachment until the (wet looking) dough comes together. If mixing by hand, combine the ingredients until you get a very wet, sticky mixture. 

6) Add the floured raisins to the dough and mix just until the raisins are distributed. 

7) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Knead just until you can get the dough into a round shape. (Dough will be sticky!) Put round loaf on baking sheet. Using a pair of kitchen scissors or a knife, cut an "X" into the top of the loaf. 

8)Bake for about 50 minutes. Check to see if the bread is done by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it is done. 

9) Let rest for five minutes. Drizzle the top of the loaf with honey. Let cool!