Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe

It’s that time of year again—time to set your leprechaun traps,  get your green on, and make your Irish soda bread! In memory of my mother, who left us 17 years ago this week, the easiest and best Irish soda bread ever:

4 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 T caraway seeds (optional, but I love them)
3/4 c sugar
1 c dried currants (or raisins, but I prefer currants)
2 T butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c buttermilk

1. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl
2. Add the caraway seeds, sugar, and currants
3. Stir in the butter, eggs, and buttermilk

Plop it on a greased pan (I used a round cake pan; the bread will also be round). Attempt to cut a 1.5-inch-deep cross-cut using a serrated knife. Don’t worry if the dough sticks to the knife and your cross-cut is barely visible.

Cook 45-60 mins at 350 degrees (Mine took 50 mins). Take it out, let it sit 5-10 mins in the pan, then remove it to cool on a rack. Eat while warm with butter. Wash down with Irish whiskey or Guinness—or better yet, a cup of tea.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!