Irish Soda Bread

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• Irish Soda Bread

• cooking spray
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease an 8-inch to 10-inch cast iron skillet.
• 25 ounces (about 4 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Add butter to dry ingredients and using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into small piece and incorporate into flour until it is the size of large pebbles.
• 1 ½ cups raisins or currants
• 1 tablespoon carroway seeds (optional)
• Add raisins and carroway seeds (if using) and stir until combined. (Note: The carroway seeds add deep notes of anise to the bread. This strong flavor may be off-putting to people not accustomed to it, so you may want to omit them.)
• 2 eggs
• In a small bowl, beat eggs.
• 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
• Add buttermilk to eggs and stir to combine.
• Pour buttermilk and eggs into bowl with dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir until ingredients have just combined.
• Using your hands, gently knead the dough until it is rough and scrappy. Do not over mix or over knead the dough as the resulting bread will be tough.
• Gentle shape dough into a round and place on a greased cast-iron skillet. Using a knife, score the top of the dough with ½ inch deep cut in an 'X' shape. Pull the dough back slightly to open the 'X'. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and a knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
• Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

• cooking spray
• 25 ounces (about 4 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 ½ cups raisins or currants
• 1 tablespoon carroway seeds (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¾ cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease an 8-inch to 10-inch cast iron skillet.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
3. Add butter to dry ingredients and using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into small piece and incorporate into flour until it is the size of large pebbles.
4. Add raisins and carroway seeds (if using) and stir until combined. (Note: The carroway seeds add deep notes of anise to the bread. This strong flavor may be off-putting to people not accustomed to it, so you may want to omit them.)
5. In a small bowl, beat eggs.
6. Add buttermilk to eggs and stir to combine.
7. Pour buttermilk and eggs into bowl with dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir until ingredients have just combined.
8. Using your hands, gently knead the dough until it is rough and scrappy. Do not over mix or over knead the dough as the resulting bread will be tough.
9. Gentle shape dough into a round and place on a greased cast-iron skillet. Using a knife, score the top of the dough with ½ inch deep cut in an 'X' shape. Pull the dough back slightly to open the 'X'. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and a knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
10. Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.