🍞 Nana Dot’s Irish Soda Bread—simple, rustic, and perfect with butter or jam!
📝 Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter (cut into small pieces)
1 cup raisins (or currants)
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg
👩🍳 Instructions
Preheat oven
Set your oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Cut in butter
Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Add raisins
Stir in the raisins so they’re evenly distributed.
Mix wet ingredients
In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg.
Combine
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until a soft dough forms (don’t overmix).
Shape the dough
Turn onto a floured surface, knead lightly (just a few turns), and shape into a round loaf.
Score the top
Place on the baking sheet and cut a deep “X” on top (this helps it bake evenly).
Bake
Bake for 50–60 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool & serve
Let cool slightly, then slice and enjoy warm with butter.
💡 Tips
No buttermilk? Mix 1 3/4 cups milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice and let sit 5 minutes.
For extra richness, brush the top with melted butter right after baking.
Best eaten fresh, but you can toast leftovers the next day!
