Irresistible Irish Soda Bread
Here is yet another Irish soda bread that has been in my collection for a good number of years. This one falls into the breakfast/dessert bread category.
I have a more traditional Irish soda bread that I prefer to have with corned beef and cabbage, and it’s super tasty toasted and slathered with butter. I’ve also got an Irish tea bread that is really cake-like. If you are as obsessed with Irish bread as I am, there’s yet one more Irish soda bread here on the blog that has a pint of sour cream in it which makes it fall into the dessert bread category as well.
Despite the fact that I have all these recipes for a variety of Irish soda breads and I truly enjoy every one of them, I can’t seem to stop trying new recipes for the next Irish soda bread. Believe it or not, there are several more on my must try list!
But…back to this recipe for Irish soda bread, it is super easy to make as it mixes up in a jiffy by hand – no mixer required. I try to ignore it as it cools because this is one bread that tastes better after several hours or overnight. The texture is soft and dense at the same time, and it tastes satisfyingly good with a cup of coffee or tea. The bread itself is not overly sweet as there is just 1/3 cup of sugar in it, so the currants give it a nice little touch of sweetness when you bite into one of them.
In any event, how could anyone resist making an Irish soda bread with “irresistible” in its title? I certainly couldn’t!
Irresistible Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tbl. baking powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup currants
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 tbl. caraway seeds, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 325o F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Combine by whisking flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda (and caraway seeds if using) in a large bowl.
Blend egg and buttermilk together and add all at once to the flour mixture along with currants. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. For best flavor, wrap in foil for several hours or overnight.
Source: A recipe from allrecipes.com