Best Ever Irish Soda Bread

Best Ever Irish Soda Bread!
(File Photo)

It's like clockwork!  Every year about a week before St. Patrick's Day I check to see if I have unsalted Butter in the fridge.  Buttermilk is always on the top shelf.  Raisins in the pantry, too.  Those are 3 of the needed ingredients to bake an Irish Soda Bread.  Every year on St. Patrick's Day we enjoy a slice of this light sweet tasty bread at breakfast.  It's also called Spotted Dog!  

This week I've baked 3 of these yummy breads.  One son had a bread delivered and the other son will have one delivered, soon.  
 

Sliced & packaged!

The third bread is for my DH & me to enjoy.  Oh yum!! 

It's become a tradition with me to share with all of you how I discovered this best ever Irish Soda Bread.  I post this story every year:  

"I'll always remember the year I was "googling" for an Irish Soda Bread recipe that used 1 Cup of Buttermilk.  That's all I had in the fridge.  There was the recipe on the blog Charli and Me written by Carol.  Carol shared that this great recipe originally came from the Will O'Glenn Irish Bed and Breakfast in Michigan with Mrs. Biddy Gahan sharing it.  I'm always so happy that all of these kind folks passed it along!  I use unsalted & fat free/ low fat ingredients & it's so good!  Every year I bake this Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day & also a couple of other times during the year." 

One year in my haste, I melted the unsalted Butter in the microwave.  I then learned that it was much easier to mix the cooled melted Butter with the flour mixture, so that has now become my method.  I also add the drained Raisins and stir in before adding in the Buttermilk. 

Some Hints:

• Melt, then cool Butter before using. 
• Before placing the very sticky dough in the pie plate, rub a little Butter on your hands, so the dough will not stick to your hands.
• Spray the pie plate with PAM.

 

Ready for the oven!
(File Photo)

Best Ever Irish Soda Bread 
Oven:  400°F, then lowered to 375°F.

Total Baking Time:  40 - 45 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 Cups Raisins
1 Cup Boiling Water
* * * * * * *
1 stick unsalted Butter 
2 and 1/2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
5 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Buttermilk, can be Fat Free or Low Fat

PAM- to spray on pie plate

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spray Pyrex pie plate with PAM.
3. In a small bowl combine Raisins & boiling water.  Let sit while preparing dough.
4. Melt Butter.  Cool.
5. In large mixing bowl combine Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Sugar.
6. Add melted Butter to dry ingredients.  Stir in.
7. Add drained Raisins.  Stir.
8. Add Buttermilk.  Stir.
9. Shape the dough into a ball after placing in pie plate.  **Dough will be sticky.
10. Bake 15 Minutes at 400°F.
11. Then, lower oven temperature to 375°F.  Bake 25- 30 Minutes longer.
12. Use a cake tester or toothpick to test for "doneness".
13. Remove bread from pie plate to a cooling rack.
14. Cool on rack.
15. Wait at least 5 hours before cutting into slices.
16.  Enjoy!

***Before removing from pie plate, I use a knife to separate bread from pie plate edge.  A spatula also helps to lift the bread to the cooling rack.

This is the best Irish Soda Bread I've ever tested, 2 thumbs up!!!  It is yummy served warm or cold.  However, heating a slice in the microwave for a few seconds is just the best.

2 slices are also placed in our freezer to enjoy sometime in the next 2 weeks.

Put unsalted Butter & Buttermilk on your grocery list!  Raisins, too, if you do not have 1 and 1/2 Cups ready to use.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Enjoy!
Yummy!