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Categories:Viewed: 35 - Published at: 2 years ago
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1/4 cups Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 whole Zest Of An Orange (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Caraway Seeds (optional, See Below)
- 1 cup Raisins, Dried Cranberries Or Currants (I Used Sun Maid's Raisin/cranberry Blend)
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 whole Egg
Method
- I prefer my soda bread with just a hint of sweetness (especially in the yummy crusty outer part), so this recipe, which has a little more sugar than most, fits the bill perfectly.
- This recipe uses caraway seeds, the seeds that are in rye bread, for those of you who are unfamiliar with them. Although I put 1 Tablespoon in the ingredients list above, I actually always make it with 2 Tablespoons. I like the depth of flavor that they add, but the taste isn't for everyone, so 2 is probably too much if you aren't sure whether you like caraway seeds, then I recommend 1. If you know you don't like caraway, you can omit them altogether if you wish.
- I also use orange zest in this recipe, because I use a raisin/cranberry blend in the bread, and the orange complements the cranberry. I think the addition of the zest would be tasty even if you use just raisins, because it gives a wonderful hint of citrus, but you can easily leave it out if you want a very traditional flavor.
- DIRECTIONS
- 1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
- 2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, zest and salt and stir well to mix.
- 3. Add the butter and rub in until the butter disappears into the dry ingredients. (I do this with my paddle mixer, with the butter cut into slices)
- 4. Stir in the caraway seeds if used and the dried fruit.
- 5. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Mix it into the dough.
- 6. Turn the dough out on a floured work surface and fold it over on itself several times, kneeding for a few minutes, maybe 3 or 4.
- 7. Shape it into a round loaf. Transfer the loaf to one cookie sheet or a jelly roll pan covered with parchment or foil and cut a cross in the top of the dough round (I forgot to do this, so I stabbed at it with a butter knife while it was in the oven...this is why the top in my pic looks like a cat attacked it).
- 8. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350F and cook for about 30-35 minutes more, until well colored and a toothpick plunged into the center emerges clean.
- 9. Cool the soda bread on a rack and serve with butter and/or marmalade.
