Irish Soda Bread for
“the wee ones”

When I grew up we were frequently surrounded by oodles of great aunts and uncles, grandparents and family friends who all came from the ol’ country bringing with them a nice thick Irish brogue, big smiles, and wonderful recipes.  Stews, boiled meat and potatoes, fresh garden vegetables and homemade cookies were all standard fare. I may only vaguely remember those meals by Grandma, but I will never forget my first taste of Irish Soda Bread with a special added ingredient…

One day Mrs Shannon dropped by to visit and told my mother she’d made some of her soda bread, but she added a bit of a treat “for the wee ones”. I was only three or four, but instantly knew there was something there that would be yummy and smiled wide and clapped as my sister hopped up and down.  Mrs. Shannon laughed her hearty laugh and smiled her contagious smile as we all enjoyed the treat.  Her “secret ingredient” was raisins, and we gobbled down that wonderful bread coated with butter in utter joy.  It was a delightful visit and I’ve always remembered it fondly.

Needless to say, that experience made Irish Soda Bread a staple in our household too for special occasions. It’s easy to make and a wonderful treat.  You don’t have to add the raisins or caraway seeds, but at least you now know raisins are definitely part of Irish Soda Bread, if only for when it is to be enjoyed as a wholesome treat even for us “Grown-up Wee Ones”!

Irish Soda Bread for "the wee ones"

My Irish relatives gave me recipes for different quantities and minor variations in ingredients, but this is the one that has passed down for a few generations. With raisins it is the favorite. Enjoy.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course breads and muffins, snacks

Cuisine Irish

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups flour unbleached all purpose
• 4 TBS sugar
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups raisins optional, but highly recommended
• 1 - 3 Tsp caraway seed optional, and to taste
• 1/3 cup butter softened
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cast iron pan or baking sheet, buttered

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine and sift the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Optionals: Add the raisins and stir in. If desired, classic Irish Soda Bread also includes Caraway Seed which you may also add to the dry mixture.
• Cut in the slightly softened (NOT melted) butter until crumbles appear. You can use some forks or even fingers to blend the butter into the mixture.
• Make a shallow in the middle of dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk. Use a fork to stir and mix together to a biscuit consistency. It should feel soft and light, not sticky.
• Flour a board lightly, then turn the dough onto the board and kneed a short time (about a minute) until smooth. Don't go overboard on this... you just want it smoothed out and blended - fold, press, roll, fold, press a brief while and you are done. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle a bit of the flour from the board across the top as you are working the dough and make sure there continues to be flour on the board as you progress.
• Shape it into a round loaf about 8 to 9 inches wide and gently flatten to about 1 1/2" tall. Ideally, use a buttered cast iron pan to place it in, or set on a coated cookie sheet.
• Using a floured knife, score a cross into the top approximately 1/8" deep. (Besides helping the bread to expand, Irish lore says the cross is "to keep the devil away".
• Bake the bread at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. To test for doneness you should hear a hollow sound when you tap the crust with a finger.
  
• Lightly brush the top of the loaf with butter, cool slightly, and then enjoy plain, with butter and/or jam. The version without raisins works great with dinner stews and gravies as well.
  

Keyword breads, rasins, soda bread