St. Paddy's Day!

Hello All! It's that time of year again where everything is dyed green from beer to bagels! I decided to be a bit more traditional and try making Irish soda bread. Never made it before, but I love this stuff.. I feel like everyone has their own opinion about what makes a good Irish soda bread. As for me, I like mine on the sweeter side with raisins. It can't be too crumbly like a biscuit, but not quite like a scone either. I tweaked a recipe that I found online to make it my own. I think it came out swell!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ingredients: 

4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup raisins

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in warm water.
3. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
4. Mix in the butter until the flour mix looks like breadcrumbs.
5. Add the raisins.
6. Add the egg and buttermilk (don't overmix).
7. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly.
8. Form a mound on a parchment-lined pan. Flatten the center to ensure even baking.
9. Melt the butter and add to the buttermilk and brush this all over the bread.
10. With a knife, score an X on top of the bread (don't score too deep or the bread will look funny).
11. Brush the bread every 15 minutes with the buttermilk-butter.
12. Bake 45 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean.