Luck of the Irish-Part II

For today, we have a recipe for Irish Soda Bread. This is supposedly a completely authentic recipe. (Only the best for our Easy Peasy audience!) The texture of the end result is very light and flaky like a big biscuit or scone. I tried it with and without raisins, and preferred the version with the raisins. The one without raisins was OK, as long as I spread it with jam.

Irish Soda Bread

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants (optional)
2 tsp caraway seed (optional)
3/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400'F. Grease baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.
2. Place 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar in a one-cup measuring cup. Add milk (about 3/4 cup) to fill to the top of the cup. This will curdle and become buttermilk.
3. Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl until evenly blended. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the raisins, currants, and caraway seeds, then make a well in the center and pour in the milk/vinegar mixture. Stir with a spoon until the dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface, and knead gently 8 to 10 times. Form the dough into a round loaf and place on baking sheet. Using a very sharp knife, slice an "X" in the top of the loaf.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375'F and bake until the top of the bread is golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

Note: As with any biscuit-type baking, the less you work the dough (once you add the liquid) the more tender your final texture will be. Also, you want to work fast once you add the liquid since your leavening agents start reacting at that point.

Yield: 1 8-9" round loaf
Cal: 121, Total Fat: 4.2g, Chol: 11mg, Sod: 232mg, Total Carbs: 19.9g, Dietary Fiber: 0.9g, Protein: 2g