Irish-American Soda Bread is a dense and slightly sweet loaf, studded with raisins. I like to serve it just slightly warm or at room temperature with softened Irish butter.
Course Bread
Cuisine American, Irish
Keyword american-style irish soda bread, irish american soda bread, irish soda bread with caraway seeds, irish soda bread with raisins
4cupsall-purpose flour, plus more for kneading, measured using the spoon-and-level method*
3tablespoonsgranulated sugar
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoontable salt
5tablespoonsunsalted butter, divided
1-½ to 1-¾cupsbuttermilk, preferably whole**
1largeegg, lightly beaten
1cupseedless raisins or currants, (I use mixed raisins) AND/OR
1tablespooncaraway seeds
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut 4 tablespoons of cold butter into small cubes. Cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or a fork until corse crumbs form.
Stir in raisins/currants and/or caraway seeds (if using). Make a well in the center of the bowl. Pour beaten egg and buttermilk into the well. (Alternately, you can beat the egg and buttermilk together in the measuring cup before adding them to the bowl.) Stir just until the dough begins to come together.
Transfer the dough to a floured pastry board or mat. Knead with floured hands until the dough forms a ball. It will look scraggly. For a tender crumb, do not over-knead!
Form dough into a 6 to 7 inch round and transfer to the prepared skillet or baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross shape across the top of the round, stopping about an inch from each edge.
Bake until loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs attached. This will take 40-50 minutes, depending on whether you've used a cast iron skillet or baking sheet. (The skillet usually takes a few extra minutes than the baking sheet.)
Watch the bread while it's baking. If it starts to brown too much before the center is cooked, loosely lay a piece of foil over the top.
While the bread is baking, melt remaining tablespoon of butter. Remove loaf from oven and immediately brush with butter. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.
This bread is best enjoyed the day it is baked. Leftovers can still be eaten the next day if the cooled loaf is tightly-wrapped in a double layer of foil and stored at room temperature. The bread will be denser on the second day.
Notes
*For best results, read about the ingredient brands and varieties I like to use for this recipe in the "Ingredients" section in the article above.**The amount of buttermilk you need will range from 1-½ to 1-¾ cups. Start with 1-½ cups and if the dough isn't coming together, add an additional ¼ cup, 1 tablespoonful at a time. I almost always use the full 1-¾ cups with the brands I use, but you might not need it all.