NewYorkBabe's Irish Soda Bread

This is what is in my oven right now.

I've tried many recipes over the years and I've come up with one that is perfect, it's a combination of different Irish Soda Bread recipes handed down from generations. And yes, I am not Irish, I am Jewish, but I have some friends who are.


1 Cup dark seedless raisins
4 Cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
I tsp. baking soda
3/4 Cup sugar
2 T. Crisco shortening (full spoons, not measured exactly)
2 T. caraway seeds
2 Cups buttermilk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400. Put water in small pot, add raisins and bring to boil, then turn off and let raisins soak until ready to add.

Sift flour on parchment paper, measure 4 Cups and put into large bowl. Add salt, cream of tartar, baking powder and soda. Mix with whisk to fully blend. Add sugar and shortening. Cut shortening with butter knife until fine pieces, mix well with wooden spoon.

Add strained raisins and caraway seeds and mix well again.

Crack egg into a large bowl, add enough buttermilk to equal 2 cups, important: not more than 2 cups. Beat together.

Add buttermilk and egg mixture to mixture stirring well with wooden spoon. It will be sticky and hard to handle with hands.

Sprinkle some flour on the parchment paper and on your hands and spoon out mixture. Put some flour on mixture and knead gently until mixture is in a slightly manageable shape. Gently is the operative word. This will be very sticky.

Divide mixture in half, adding a little more flour to cut ends and lightly knead into shape of pans.

Coat pans with shortening and flour lightly 2(9x5-inch) loaf pans. (I also use round glass casserole pans sometimes) Fill equally with batter. Make a cross-like indentation with a sharp knife on top of the dough (it doesn't have to be perfect) and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then lowering to 350 for balance of approximately 30 minutes.

DO NOT open oven during the first 15 minutes of baking.

Then sit back and watch the family become intoxicated with the delicious aroma.

Advice: Don't let them eat a piece until their homework is done, or your husband throws out the garbage because it's all about the leverage here.

Enjoy.