Grandma McAndrews Irish Soda Bread

This is not the dark bread you see in every restaurant in Dublin or Galway these days but I promise, it’s authentic Irish Soda Bread, exactly how my late Irish grandma made it. Serve warm or cold with butter. This freezes great. I’ve made several loaves before St. Patrick’s Day, or family parties. I freeze them, take them out the morning they’re needed and warm up in a hot oven for 5 -7 minutes before serving.

Step: 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.

Step: 2

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and corn oil. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Add the raisins, and stir a few times, just until the ingredients come together into a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and with floured hands shape dough into a ball. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet, and cut a large cross in the top with a sharp knife.

Step: 3

Place the bread on a middle rack of the preheated oven, and bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Per Serving: 272 calories; protein 6.6g; carbohydrates 48.3g; fat 6.1g; cholesterol 32mg; sodium 420.7mg.

The best flavour of the flour could make a real difference to your bread. Different makers do vary. Great taste or Canadian flours, which are bet higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal dough , which not always rise as well as white bread.

To make this in a dough , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A bread first rising can be make in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can work it night before , then finish it off the next day.