Irish Soda Bread

Where have you been all of my life? I suppose I'm a day late and a dollar short on sharing this bread, but who needs St. Patrick's Day to make it? Just go ahead and make it, now! I've never had Irish Soda bread, so when St. Patrick's Day came I decided to make it to go with our Corned Beef and Cabbage meal. It turned out perfectly!

You'll never believe how easy it is to make this bread. It was shockingly easy because there's no rising of dough or yeast involved. Your baking soda is where you get your bubbles to make the dough rise when baking. Still, why has no one told me how awesome this bread is? I know have a ton of friends that love bread just as much as I do.

All I did was mix all the ingredients together and knead it into a loaf. I don't think anyone can mess that up, right? With a hint of orange beside the dried cherries I used, because I couldn't find any currants, your family will be asking you to make this bread again. I think this will be perfect for my older girls to make since they're really enjoying baking and cooking at the moment.

The recipe is from The Food Network. Who doesn't love Ina? You probably even have most of the ingredients in your home already, so what's keeping you from trying this out?  

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 cup dried currants

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

 

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.