Celebrate St Paddy's Day with Christine's Soda Bread

Been too busy with the Scotland blog, but my mom reminded me to keep up with this one too. Here's a recipe to make March 17th a delicious day. Enjoy!

IRISH SODA BREAD

2-1/4 cups of white flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teas. salt

1/2 teas. baking soda

1-1/2 teas. baking powder

1 cup buttermilk, store bought or home made

1 cup raisins

1 Tbl. caraway seeds

If making your own buttermilk, put1 tablespoon of cider or white vinegar into a glass measuring cup. Add milk to the one-cup line. Stir. Allow to rest for 10 minutes or longer.

Meanwhile put all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Add raisins and caraway seeds and mix again. Add buttermilk and stir just enough to mix together.

Turn dough onto a well-floured board, flour hands if necessary and knead about 20 times. Form into a ball. Use a sharp knife to cut a cross on the top of the ball. Place in greased cast iron skillet or fry pan (or any round cake pan or cookie sheet). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350 degrees and bake another 40 minutes until the bread sounds hollow when knocked on the bottom.