Irish Soda Bread

What can better than giving a gift? Receiving one!

Yesterday one of my 8th grade Culinary Arts students gifted me this beautiful Irish Soda Bread. Not only was this an unexpected gesture of kindness, but it was quite obvious that Kathryn H. was thrilled and very proud to give me something that she baked from scratch, which tastes as delicious as it looks!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 tablespoons caraway seeds

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

• 2 cups golden or dark raisins

• 1 1/2 scant cups buttermilk

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 tablespoon heavy CREAM

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oven to 350 degrees m. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds until well combined
  

• Using a pastry cutter or two knives in scissor fashion, cut in butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. Stir in raisins until evenly distributed.

• In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. It should resemble a rough biscuit dough. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Lift the loaf from the bowl, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

• In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. With a sharp knife or razor, incise a cross, about 1/2 inch deep, into the top of the loaf. Transfer to the oven. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes.

• Remove from oven, and transfer bread from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.