Irish Soda Bread, American Style

By jtoro_318

Sweeter and more tender than traditional Irish soda bread, this "Americanized" version is sure to please any aficionado of the genre.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Details

Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients; set aside. In another bowl, cream together the butter or margarine, eggs and sugar till light and fluffy.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients alternately with the milk. Stir in the caraway seeds and raisins.

Spoon the batter into a greased deep (9 x 4-inch round) cake pan or springform pan, or a deep angel-food or tube pan. Bake the bread in a preheated 325°F oven for about 1 1/2 hours (less in a tube or angel-food pan), or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. Yield: 1 sweet, moist, crumbly-textured loaf.