Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's an old recipe for Irish Soda Bread. You need to soak the raisins or currants in whiskey -- preferably Irish whiskey -- for at least an hour before you bake the bread, so plan accordingly (you can soak them overnight if that's easier). Enjoy!

Ingredients
1/2 cup currants OR 3/4 cup raisins
3 Tbs Irish whiskey
3 cups sifted flour (OR 2 cups of sifted white flour and 1 cup of sifted whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs light brown sugar
2 tsp caraway seeds
1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (make sure you have more available just in case)

Soak the currants or raisins in the Irish whiskey for at least one hour. Grease and flour a 10-inch round baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Sprinkle in the currants or raisins and the whiskey used in soaking, then stir in the caraway seeds and orange peel. Slowly add the buttermilk while stirring, adding enough to make a light dough (it make take a little less or a little more than 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk). Spread the dough into the greased, floured baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes - the bread will pull away from the sides of the pan when it's done. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 2 hours before serving.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria
Carolina Sauce Company