Featured Recipe

BREAD: Irish Soda Bread with Caraway and Drambuie

Ingredients

 

1 1/2 cups golden raisins

6 tablespoons Drambuie

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups whole-wheat flour, preferably stone-ground

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

 

Soda breads are Celtic country hearth breads made throughout the British Isles and originally baked in wood-fired clay ovens built into home chimneys. It is a bread easily mixed and baked, ready to serve in less than an hour. Drambuie is a liqueur made of good Scotch whisky, heather honey, and a secret collection of herbs. Soda breads beg to be eaten, crusty and warm.

1. In a small bowl, combine the raisins and liqueur. Let stand at room temperature to macerate 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease or parchment-line a baking sheet or two 8-inch cake pans. In a large bowl using a whisk or electric mixer, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and caraway seeds. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and butter and beat slightly with a whisk. Add the macerated raisins.

3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon just to moisten. The dough will not be as stiff as yeast bread dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently about 6 times, or until the dough comes together. Form into 2 round loaves by hand and place on the baking sheet or into the pans. Using a serrated knife, slash the tops with an X no more thatn 1/4 inch deep on each top to allow for expansion and even baking.

4. Place the baking sheet or bread pan on a rack in the center of the over and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger and are brown and crusty. Transfer the loaves to a cookling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature the same day.

 

This recipe was taken from the book The Bread Bible: 300 Favorite Recipes by Beth Hensperger, winner of the James Beard Cookbook Award, and is available for purchase at Now You\'re Cooking.