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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Shape the bread: Form the dough into a 6-inch diameter disk shape.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Brush with melted butter: Once the bread is pulled from the oven, immediately brush the top generously with the melted butter.
10. Serve: Serve the American Irish Soda Bread warm from the oven with high-quality butter. Enjoy!