Happy St Patrick's Day!

One of my favorite recipes is the one I use to bake Irish Soda Bread. It has the traditional buttermilk and caraway seeds but I use Golden Raisins instead of regular ones.

Oh my...we really love this bread and every year I wonder aloud why I don't bake it more often, but then I put the recipe away and don't get it out again until the next year...sigh... 

Here is the recipe; feel free to bake a loaf and invite me over for a slice!

Mary Doyle's Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:
o 2-3/4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
o 1/3 cup sugar
o 1 tsp baking powder
o 1/2 tsp baking soda
o 3/4 tsp salt
o 2/3 cup raisins (I use Golden Raisins)
o 1 Tbsp caraway seeds
o 1 cup buttermilk
o 2 large eggs

Instructions:
1. Adjust oven rack to center of oven. Heat oven to 325 degrees (F). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together 2-3/4 cups of the flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds. Whisk together buttermilk and eggs in another bowl. Stir buttermilk-egg mixture into dry ingredients with a wooden spoon just until blended (dough will be very sticky, but that’s okay).
3. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup flour onto a work surface. With lightly floured hands, turn and gently knead dough to incorporate most of the flour. Shape dough into a 6-inch round; transfer to center of prepared cookie sheet (dough will be soft and slightly sticky). Place in center of prepared cookie sheet. With a sharp paring knife, make a 1/2-inch deep "X" across the top of the loaf.
4. Bake about 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. With a large spatula, transfer loaf to wire rack; cool completely. To serve, slice with a serrated knife.