Irish Freckle Bread
by Stella Zedman
Average User Rating:
This delicious, traditional soda bread recipe -- freckled with currants, raisins or cranberries -- is irresistible served warm with butter. It’s ridiculously easy to make, even if you’ve never made bread before.
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Ingredients
- 3-3/4 cups (850 mL) all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. (15 mL) baking powder
- 1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. (2 mL) salt
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) dried currants, raisins or dried cranberries
- 2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk
- 1 egg
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dried currants and mix well.
- In another bowl, stir together the buttermilk and the egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, and stir well until everything is blended. The dough will be quite soft. Sprinkle some additional flour onto the counter or table and turn the dough out onto this floured surface. Knead the dough about 10 times - just to make it reasonably smooth and pliable. Gently form it into one large, round loaf and place it onto the prepared baking sheet. With a very sharp knife, cut a shallow X into the top of the loaf. (This allows the bread to expand in the oven rather than crack and split.)
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the loaf is nicely browned, and a toothpick poked into the middle of it comes out clean.
Tips & Tricks
Makes one large round loaf
How kids can help
Mix together the dry ingredients and add the liquid.
Help knead the dough and shape the loaf.
