Claire Fisk's Irish Soda Bread

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups raisins (or a little less to your taste)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 -4 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 grease a 2 quart round baking pan (or two 1 quart round baking pans if you divide dough into 2 loaves).
• 3 in a bowl, using a fork, mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
• 4 cut in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs.
• 5 stir in raisins and caraway seeds.
• 6 in a small bowl, beat eggs.
• 7 remove 1 tablespoon of the beaten eggs and set aside.
• 8 stir buttermilk into eggs.
• 9 stir buttermilk/egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened; dough will be sticky.
• 10 knead dough on well floured surface (about 10 strokes).
• 11 shape dough into a ball and place into greased baking pan.
• 12 cut a 4 inch cross into the center of the loaf (about a 1/4 inch deep).
• 13 brush top of loaf with reserved beaten egg.
• 14 bake at 350°f for 50-70 minutes (depending on your oven).
• 15 cool in pan for 10 minutes.
• 16 remove from pan, continue cooling on a rack until just "warm", serve with lots of butter or let cool completely.
• 17 (slices easier when completely cool).