A Recipe For St. Patrick's Day

Irish Bread from Father Brian’s Mother

4 cups unbleached flour
3 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
6 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick of butter NOT oleo, softened
2-3 cups buttermilk
1 cup raisins
1 tbsp caraway seeds

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in soft butter. Add seeds and raisins. Mix well. Add 2 cups buttermilk. Mix gently – if dry, add more buttermilk 1 tbsp at a time to make nice soft dough. It will be sticky.

Turn onto lightly floured board. Shape into round with floured hands. Cut a deep cross in top. Place in buttered 8 or 9 inch black fry pan or 8 or 9 inch layer cake tin – Not Glass. Bake at 350 degrees 45 min or until it tests done.

Some folks sift dry ingredients- my mom did – I never do.
Some folks use baking soda – I don’t, unless the buttermilk is fresh. I usually use buttermilk when it is thick and glops out of the container – about 3-4 weeks old. You can tell if it is going to be good, it actually “talks” to you when you are shaping it on board. You can “hear” it rising – truly.

Good Luck. Have the kettle up for tea, with plenty of butter and jam at the ready. Enjoy.
P.S. Try it toasted (not a conventional toaster) in toaster oven. It’s super, can also be frozen.

This is the recipe my Mom always used. I love the extra notes from Fr. Jeffries mom about putting the kettle on. But I noticed as I was typing it out that it never says to split into two loaves, which is what I always do. I think it works either way. A single loaf fills the pan and leads to an even looking crust. Double loaves turn out as a more free-form circle with a crunchier crust, like scones. It's also nice microwaved for a few seconds to give the butter something to melt into. I always use baking soda, because I don't read ahead in the notes where it says I don't need it. And I never, ever, ever use caraway seeds because I hate the taste of them.