the VERY BEST IRISH SODA BREAD YOU'LL EVER TASTE!!!! RECIPE HERE~

Last weekend we gathered together at Cook n Craft Academy to make some Irish Soda Bread.  I've been making it over the years...and always thought I had a pretty good recipe (Thank you Aunt Katie)...but this recipe I came across while working at Martha Stewart is by far the very best Irish Soda Bread I ever tasted.

I will warn you the dough is a bit of a wet dough...but wow...the bread is moist and just delicious.  Here is the recipe...let me know if you try it...it's definitely that time of year for it.  We did not use the skillet but rather formed it on a cookie sheet.  Either way works.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and frozen, plus more, softened, for skillet
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups raisins
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Caraway seeds (optional)

Directions

1. 
   

   1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack set in lower third of oven. Lightly butter a 10-inch round cast-iron skillet; set aside.
2. 
   

   2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter, sour cream and egg; mix, using a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins, buttermilk, and caraway seeds, if using, and mix until a sticky dough forms.
3. 
   

   3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a floured bench scraper, form into a round loaf; using a sharp knife score a large "X" in the center.
4. 
   

   4. Place in prepared skillet and transfer to oven. Bake until loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. If top begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.