35 minutes minutes
5 from 2 votes
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This Breakfast Irish Soda Bread recipe has plenty of dried cherries and golden raisins mixed in.
My husband’s family is 100% Irish so I went searching for the perfect Irish Soda Bread recipe to try this year.
My husband’s second cousins came directly from Ireland. He loves his Irish food. This isn’t very much a “classic” Irish soda bread recipe, but it certainly is delicious. It’s best served warm with butter and honey!
Lucky me, I’ve had this Breakfast Irish Soda Bread recipe sitting in my collection of recipes for a long time.
How to make Breakfast Irish Soda Bread:
The recipe begins in a food processor. Dry ingredients whirred together with butter and then dumped into a bowl to mix with buttermilk, eggs and the dried fruit.
The dough is then dumped onto a floured surface, kneaded a bit and then divided in two.
The two halves are then shaped into two round loaves.
The bread bakes to a deep, golden brown- a crispy crust and a tender interior.Unlike some other breads, you can slice into this one immediately and sample the goods.
The bread itself isn’t all that sweet… the sweetness comes from the delicious addition of golden raisins and dried cherries. It’s a bread with a tender crumb. I don’t find it dry at all, and it’s especially good when it’s warm.
You might also like this recipe for Irish Soda Bread Muffins. And I’ve been eyeing this traditional Irish Beef and Guinness Stew too!
Breakfast Irish Soda Bread
This bread is delicious toasted, and topped with butter and honey.
Recipe Details
Prep Time: 25 minutes mins
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Irish
Keyword: breakfast bread, irish soda bread, soda bread
Servings: 16 servings (2 loaves)
Calories: 183kcal
Author: RecipeGirl.com (adapted from Real Food)
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ cup golden raisins (plus a few more raisins)
- ¾ cup dried cherries (plus a few more cherries)
- extra flour for dusting & kneading
Instructions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give it a couple of pulses, then add the butter pieces; pulse until butter is incorporated and small crumbs are formed.
Pour the flour/butter mixture into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the buttermilk, egg, and egg yolk and stir just until moistened. Then stir in the ¾ cup raisins and ¾ cup cherries.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 to 10 times (dusting flour lightly onto dough if it’s too sticky). Knead just until the dough comes together and is smooth. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a round. Stud a few extra raisins and cherries into the tops of the loaves. Dust the tops of the rounds lightly with a little flour.
Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about three inches between them. Place another baking sheet of the same size underneath to prevent burning. With a sharp knife, slash the tops with a large X about ½-inch deep.
Bake until the loaves are a dark-golden brown and crusty, 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the X comes out clean. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the side.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Store wrapped in plastic at room temperature or freeze in a zip bag for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Using low fat buttermilk is just fine.
- If you don't have a food processor, this recipe can be made by hand. Use your fingers to rub the flour and butter together to create the crumbs.
- Check on your baking bread at about 25 minutes. If it appears to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
Nutrition
Serving: 1loaves, Calories: 183kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 321mg, Potassium: 112mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 357IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 1mg
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