Irish Soda Bread with Brandy-Soaked Raisins
This Irish Soda Bread with Brandy-Soaked Raisins is an easy recipe with a fun twist thanks to the brandy raisins. Bake up a loaf or two today!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 153kcal
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup raisins soaked in brandy (50 grams)
- 1¾ cups pastry flour sifted (see note) (186 grams)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder 12 grams
- ½ tsp baking soda 3 grams
- ½ tsp salt 3 grams
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 12 grams
- 2 Tbsp butter diced (and cold!) (28 grams)
- ¾ cup buttermilk 170 grams
Instructions
- Soak raisins with brandy in a small bowl for 20-30 minutes.
- In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients until well mixed.
- Add diced butter. Use a pastry blender (or two forks) to mix until a cornmeal-like texture is created.
- Add buttermilk and brandy-soaked raisins; stir until completely absorbed. (Dough will be very sticky.)
- Turn dough onto a floured countertop and gently fold. (Do not overmix this dough. You may need a small amount of additional flour if the dough is too sticky to fold.)
- Form dough into a small, round ball and cut a deep cross in the top.
- Place dough on a sheet pan and bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes.
Notes
It's important to use a soft wheat flour for this recipe, such as pastry or cake flour. The additional gluten in all-purpose flour or bread flour is not ideal for Irish Soda Bread.
If you don't have pastry flour, you can substitute 1.5 cups + 2 Tbsp of all-purpose flour and 2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp of cornstarch. Just mix the all-purpose flour and cornstarch together and sift three times. (Yup, three times.)
If you warm the brandy in the microwave slightly (10-12 seconds), it will help the raisins absorb the brandy faster.
Nutrition
Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 1mg
