Directions: |
Directions:Heat oven to 350ºF
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda.
Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.
Set aside 1 tbsp. of the beaten eggs.
In a bowl, combine the buttermilk and remaining egg. Stir into the crumb mixture until the flour is moistened and slightly sticky. You may not need the full 1½ cups.
Turn onto a well floured surface, kneading around 10 times then shape into a ball.
Place in a 9-in round pan (cast iron is the best). Cut a cross into the top of the ball and brush the reserved egg on top.
Bake at 350º for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with foil for the last 20 minutes to prevent from browning the bread too much.
Let cool for 10 minutes then place on wire rack.
Tastes great with Kerrygold butter! |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: My grandmother was the second youngest of 14 children and left her home in Ireland at the tender age of 16. She left with a dream of making America her home, and set sail to New York in 1929. She found work in a bank, made a trip back to Ireland, then eventually met my grandfather and moved to the town of Leeds, NY, where they opened a popular bar/boarding house - Gilfeather's Sligo Hotel. She became quite famous amongst the Irish folks who traveled to the Catskills to escape from NYC in the summer. She brought to this charming town, her ability to cook traditional Irish food for large crowds. Living through the Depression, she learned how to transform ever popular Irish dishes into the Americanized versions, including this soda bread recipe.
As a child she taught me how to make her popular bread with measurements that included "a little bit of this and a little bit of that." While traditional Irish Soda Bread has neither raisins nor salt, her version of this tasty bread has become a family favorite and I hope it becomes a favorite of yours as well!
Note - the cross as the top was added so all who ate it were blessed.
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This recipe for Grandma Gilfeather's Irish Soda Bread is from