I Finally Make Soda Bread

I love Irish Soda Bread, but had never made it until this week. Now, I know that the Irish American version full of raisins and other goodies is supposed to bears little resemblance to its original ancestor, although some say it does, and I don’t care. It’s really good, even with the dang raisins, which I leave in for Master Chow.
I used the recipe that I found at the New York Times via Smitten Kitchen, and altered it slightly by substituting white whole wheat flour for some of the AP flour, plumping the raisins, eliminating the caraway seeds, and by adding 1/2 teaspoon of lemon oil to the batter. Quick, easy, moist, and delicious, especially with butter. And it gave me a chance to bake in my 12 inch cast iron skillet!

Skillet Irish Soda Bread

Adapted slightly from a recipe in the New York Times 3/14/07

Time: 1 1/2 hours

Butter for greasing pan plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon lemon oil (this is stronger than lemon extract)
1 1/2 cups raisins or currants (plump them in boiling water for about 5 minutes, drain, then pat dry before using)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet (Note: if you have a 12 inch skillet, like I do, you can use that and it will cook more quickly and yield a thinner loaf) and line with parchment or waxed paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, lemon oil, and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the raisins or currants.

3. Pour batter into skillet. Brush top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and firm to touch, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Yield: 1 10-inch loaf.