A traditional-style Irish soda bread with a tender crumb, lightly sweetened and studded with currants softened in sherry. The loaf is shaped by hand, deeply scored into quarters and finished with melted butter.
Yield: 1 round loaf
Prep Time: About 20 minutes
Bake Time: 30–40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- ½ cup currants, softened in warm sherry and drained
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Solid shortening, such as Crisco, for greasing the baking sheet
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted, for finishing
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Lightly grease a small baking sheet with solid shortening and set aside.
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a sifter and sift into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the 3 tablespoons softened butter. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine crumbs.
- Add the drained currants and toss until evenly distributed.
- Pour in the buttermilk all at once. Gently toss just until all the ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.
- Using your hands, gently gather the dough together and press it into a ball.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pastry cloth or work surface. Knead gently with the palms of your hands for about 1 minute, just until the dough becomes relatively smooth.
- Shape into a smooth round ball and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Using your hands, flatten the dough into a circle approximately 7 inches in diameter and 1½ inches thick.
- Flour a large knife and cut a deep cross across the top of the loaf, cutting approximately halfway through the dough to divide the loaf visually into quarters. Do not cut completely through the loaf.
- Bake for 30–40 minutes, until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Transfer the bread to a wire rack.
- While still warm, brush the top with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
- Once cooled slightly, lightly dust the loaf with flour.
Denver High-Altitude Adjustments (5,280 feet):
- Increase the oven temperature from 375°F to 390°F.
- Reduce the baking powder from 1 teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon.
- Reduce the baking soda from 1 teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon.
- Reduce the sugar slightly from 2 tablespoons to 1½ tablespoons.
- Increase the buttermilk from 1 cup to 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon. Hold back that extra tablespoon initially and add it only if the dough seems dry.
- Keep the flour, butter, currants and salt unchanged.
- Begin checking the loaf at about 27–30 minutes rather than automatically baking 30–40 minutes.
- Look for a well-browned crust and an internal temperature of approximately 195–200°F in the center.
I would also keep the 7-inch diameter and 1½-inch thickness specified in your recipe. That relatively low, broad shape will help the center bake through before the exterior becomes too dark.
Tip: This bread is best made the same day you plan to serve it. Handle the dough gently and avoid excessive kneading—the combination of buttermilk and baking soda provides the leavening, so there's no need to develop the dough as you would a yeast bread.
Source: Family Recipe