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Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Hearty Irish soda bread is easy to make. It's welcome any time of year but is essential on St. Patrick's Day.

Martha Stewart Living, March 2009 http://www.marthastewart.com/338480/irish-soda-bread
3.128205
Rated
62.5641100(44)44
  • Yield Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

    • 1 1/3 cups whole milk
    • 1/3 cup apple-cider vinegar
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and dusting
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
    • 1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
    • 1/4 cup caraway seeds
    • 1 cup (5 ounces) raisins
    • Salted butter, preferably Irish, for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Mix milk and vinegar in a small bowl, and let stand until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in unsalted butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add bran, caraway seeds, and raisins; stir to distribute.
  3. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture; stir until dough just holds together but is still sticky. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat and press the dough gently into a round, dome-shaped loaf, about 7 inches in diameter. Transfer to prepared sheet.
  4. Lightly dust top of loaf with flour. With a sharp knife, cut an X into the top, 3/4 inch deep. Bake, rotating halfway through, until loaf is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Soda bread is best eaten the day it is made; serve with salted butter.

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