Ina Garten's Irish Soda Bread

Name: Ina Garten's Irish Soda Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 1 loaf, 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, for dusting currants; 4 tablespoons sugar; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 1/8 teaspoons kosher salt; 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, 1/2 inch dice; 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, shaken; 1 extra large egg, beaten; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1 cup dried currant

Submitted by Secret Agent

"This was soooo yummy! Ina does not claim that it is authentic Irish Soda Bread but says it is delicious and we agree! Next time I'll make it into two smaller loaves since it's pretty big for the two of us. We had it for breakfast hot out of the oven yesterday and this morning we toasted it and just loved it! It took more than the 4 cups of flour called for but we had to sift a huge restaurant sack of flour that looked more like plaster of paris, so it could have been because of the double sifting. Try this if you like soda bread!"

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photo by Baby Kato

Ready In:: 55mins
Ingredients:: 10
Yields:: 1 loaf
Serves:: 12

ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, for dusting currants
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¹⁄₈ teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, 1/2 inch dice
1 ³⁄₄ cups buttermilk, shaken
1 extra large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup dried currant

directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.
With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.
Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Questions & Replies

Can you use a electric mixer if you don’t have one with a paddle

Elaine C.

Reviews

Don’t use the metric conversion! I tried the recipe as written just in grams and the dough was very dry, sadly I didn’t have anymore butter milk, so in the trash it went.

John D.
What a great recipe Secret Agent<3. We really enjoyed this quick and easy to make treat. Wow, was it good,even better than I thought it would be. The smell was wonderful but the bread was even better. So much flavor, great texture, tall, light and tender with a beautiful crust. Made exactly as written, but used a combination of golden raisins and currants. Thanks for sharing a new family favorite.

Baby Kato
This reipe was easy to make and delicious. It is wonderful toasted the next day.

Elizabeth Warner

Tweaks

Made to recipe but used dried cherries and chopped dried apricots. Bake time longer with fruit added than without (as I made 2 different versions....a sweet and savory with just caraway)

Shelley J.
I made a savory version by omitting the orange zest and currants and added 2.5TBSP caraway seeds. Tasted very good sliced and toasted for extra texture. The savory one cooked faster than the version with fruit

Shelley J.

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Secret Agent

Hello Zaars and Zaarinas! Thank all of you who tried my 'memory' recipes and left such nice reviews and for taking such lovely pictures. I do appreciate your comments. My pet peeves about cooking are recipe reviews where the reviewer says, "I made the recipe exactly as written EXCEPT yada yada yada" and I don't like suggestive names or titles such as, "Better Than Sex". I don't know why anyone would eat anything that is 'sinful' or 'decadent' since decadent is described as being decaying. Also, PAP-RI-KA only has 3 syllables. VINAIGRETTE is pronounced vin-a-grette, not vinager-ette. It's mas-car-pone not mars-ca-pone. And I don't like cutesy adult baby talk,,, or metro chic names like delish, nutrish, yummo, sammy, BAM! Oh well, I make as many, or more, faux pas as the next guy especially in ASL! Things that crack me up are: DH Fred from youtube.com Nick, my nephew Fish and Poi song as performed by PoiBoi My possum recipe per the song on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVvL4-srt6U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpbyM8k7e2Q wow this is good! my Doggie Little Yellow Petey Bird on youtube My BFF's. all of them and there are so many! and my little Sister Mary Beth. She has MS and Lupus and a great attitude. <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PAC08Main.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg">

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