Irish soda bread

Tonight we are having our annual corned beef and cabbage dinner with Irish soda bread.  I couldn't resist posting about this amazingly, easy Irish soda bread I found on the Betty Crocker website.  Betty and I go way back, even before Martha.  The thing I love about good old Betty is how easy everything is to prepare using the most basic ingredients. 

This traditional soda bread is a snap to whip up.   Your family will give you kuddos for the extra effort you made to make their holiday meal special.  I bet it would be great with stawberry jam in the morning or drizzled with honey for a quick afterschool snack for the kiddos.  I think I'll have mine with a cup of tea this evening with a smear of sweetened butter.  I better get off this kick...my diet won't like me very much in the morning.

Add all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and cut in softened butter with a pastry knife.

The butter will sort of disappear and your flour mixture won't look too terribly different. 

But all of that buttery goodness is getting evenly distributed

to make your dough bake up full of rich flavor. 

Don't run out and buy a pastry cutter if you don't have one.  

You will have the same results if you criss cross two butter knives through your mixture. 

It just takes longer.

Add raisins.  Currants would be nice too.  Maybe with a little nutmeg...oh, here I go again.

Stir in about 3/4 cup of buttermilk until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides. 

Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor that this quick bread can't be without

Got Buttermilk?

No worries, if you don't. 

follow the tips here to substitute. 

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes. 

Basically until it's more elastic, smooth and less floury.

Shape into a ball and cut a criss cross on the top. 

 I admit it.   

I made mine a wee bit deep and it lost it's roundness while baking. 

Whatever the shape...it's mmm, mmm good.

Irish Soda Bread

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

2 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup raisins, if desired
3/4 cup buttermilk

1.Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease cookie sheet.

2.Cut butter into flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in raisins and just enough buttermilk so dough leaves side of bowl.

3.Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Shape into round loaf, about 6 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on cookie sheet. Cut an X shape about 1/2 inch deep through loaf with floured knife.

4.Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter or margarine, softened, if desired.

Makes 1 loaf (14 slices)