Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Irish Soda Bread recipe – just in time for St. Patty’s day, I made my first loaf of Irish Soda bread over the weekend. I had no idea how easy it is to make!
I googled Irish Soda bread and ended up choosing a recipe from Epicurious. The list of ingredients is pretty short: This recipe makes 2 loaves, or you can cut it in half and make just one loaf. But, one loaf didn’t last that long in my house, so you’d better make 2!
Ingredients
I don’t even know where to get bread flour, or what that is, so I just used all purpose flour
4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins or dried currants, rinsed in hot water and patted dry*
1 tablespoon caraway seeds*
2 cups buttermilk
*I didn’t put in the raisins or currents or caraway seeds, and it still turned out great!
Preparation:
Into a large bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, and the baking soda and stir in the raisins and the caraway seeds (if using). Add the buttermilk and stir the mixture until it forms a dough. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute. Halve the dough, with floured hands shape each half into a round loaf, and transfer the loaves to a lightly greased baking sheet. Cut an X 1/4 inch deep across the tops of the loaves with a sharp knife and bake the loaves in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer the loaves to racks and let them cool.
Have you ever made soda bread before??
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