American Irish Soda Bread
This American Irish Soda Bread offers a slightly sweeter and richer take on the traditional quick bread. The addition of sugar, egg, and a touch of cornstarch creates a tender crumb, while raisins or currants add bursts of sweetness. The characteristic cross cut on top ensures even baking and a lovely rustic appearance.
Ingredients:
Bread:
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 3 3/4 cups |
| Granulated sugar | 1/4 cup |
| Cornstarch | 2 tablespoons |
| Baking powder | 1 tablespoon |
| Baking soda | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Fine salt | 3/4 teaspoon |
| Unsalted butter, room temperature | 5 tablespoons |
| Buttermilk | 1 1/4 cups |
| Large egg, lightly beaten | 1 |
| Raisins or currants | 1 cup |
Garnish:
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Unsalted butter, melted | 2 to 3 tablespoons |
Instructions:
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and fine salt until well combined.
- Cut in the butter: Using clean hands or a pastry cutter, cut the room temperature butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse crumble.
- Add wet ingredients and fruit: Add the buttermilk, lightly beaten egg, and raisins or currants to the bowl. Stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together to form a shaggy dough.
- Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead the dough until it becomes cohesive and slightly bumpy, about 12 to 14 gentle hand kneads. Be careful not to over-knead.
- Shape the bread: Form the dough into a 6-inch diameter disk shape.
- Transfer to baking sheet and cut: Carefully transfer the shaped dough onto the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross shape (about 1/2 inch deep) on the top of the dough.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist, not wet, crumbs. If the top of the bread starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil during the last part of baking.
- Brush with melted butter: Once the bread is pulled from the oven, immediately brush the top generously with the melted butter.
- Serve: Serve the American Irish Soda Bread warm from the oven with high-quality butter. Enjoy!
