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Mary Rooney's Irish Soda Bread

Dough

  • 4 cups regular, white flour
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • Tsp salt
  • Tsp baking powder
  • Tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup salted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups raisins, mix of regular and golden
  • 1 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 unbeaten egg
  • Egg whites for brushing

Directions

  1. Mix the first four ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder).
  2. Cut in the butter – slice into little pieces, drop it throughout the flour mixture, use a fork to cut/moosh it in.
  3. Stir in raisins.
  4. Add buttermilk, making soda, egg.
  5. Mix with hands to form a ball – shouldn’t be sticky; add a dusting of flour if sticky.
  6. Place the ball on a greased pie plate – use PAM to grease.
  7. Cut a cross shape in the top of the bread, at least an inch deep. 1
  8. Rub the top of the loaf with egg white – use your hands to smear it on, not a brush, to ensure proper coverage.

Bake at 375, check after one hour. Insert a cake tester or knife into various places in the loaf. If the knife comes out clean, it’s done. The crust should be golden/dark brown.

1 Mom will tease the quarters away from eachother to open up the cross cuts; she insists this process is essential for the loaf to cook through.
— Ben