Like everything else in this world, I have an opinion about Irish Soda Bread. For years I thought that Irish Soda Bread should stick to being traditional.
Not that I'm a traditional girl, by any means, but I dunno...there's something to a recipe that's purpose is to be made, eaten and enjoyed with minimal ingredients, effort and time. Irish Soda Bread's history is rooted in this notion, so to make it fancy just seemed rude.
So, when it came to make traditional, normal Irish Soda Bread I really wanted to stick to the plan, but I swayed.
Butter lured me, so did whiskey, as it always seems too. The added additions and tweaks are welcomed. I mean, a lot of people complain about traditional Irish Soda Bread tasting dry, crumb-ey and just overall bland.
This Irish Soda Bread is the exact opposite of all of those things.
And I'm pretty sure it mostly has to do with these raisins...soaked and macerated in Irish Whiskey.
Now, while I made a few adjustments here and there, this recipe sticks to the Irish-Soda-Bread mantra and is super easy to make, requiring only one bowl. But the soaking of the raisins does take at least 6 hours.
The payoff is worth it. They won't taste crazy like whiskey. Just a hint! Yet more caramelized and sweeter than before.
There's all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry, brown sugar (I like the added molasses which works lovely with the raisins), salt and baking soda. And of course, since I'm adding cold butter, I use the box grater technique. Makes for an easier time.
The dry ingredients are mixed. The cold butter is broken up and evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture.
The raisins are drained and then added. The buttermilk gets poured in and the entire thing is brought together with a wooden spoon and it then looks like this:
This bread is what you want to bake when you don't want to spend hours in the kitchen, and then even more hours cleaning dishes.
One bowl, fifteen minutes and an hour to bake. That's all you need.
You'll be met with a golden brown, raisin-speckled loaf that tastes like heaven when smothered in butter, sprinkled with salt and topped with some raisin-whiskey butter sauce (recipe below). This bread is a cross between a traditional Irish Soda Bread and a scone. The interior is dense, flavorful, slightly sweet and when you come across a raisin, you're more than delighted (says the ex-raisins hater). It's baking magic.
Yes. Celebrating St. Patrick's Day is cool.
Ingredients
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼ cup Irish whiskey
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour you can use regular whole wheat flour, too!
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter very cold
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk shaken
Instructions
- To a small bowl, mix together the raisins and Irish whiskey. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to macerate overnight or at least 6 hours. Drain the raisins, reserving the Irish whiskey/raisin liquid for making a syrup (if you like!) later on in the recipe. Set both aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment; set aside. (You could also bake this bread in a cast iron skillet, if you like. Be sure the skillet is seasoned and lightly greased so the bottom won't stick.)
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Using a box grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients and mix quickly, being sure the butter is broken up into pea-sized bits. Next, add the raisins and toss them gently in the flour mixture so they are evenly distributed.
- Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon, mix it together until it forms a shaggy ball. Drop the soda bread dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead a few times, being sure to not over handle it, which will result in tough bread. Form the soda bread into a 1 ½-inch thick disc. Using a knife, score the top, forming an X, and brush it with buttermilk.
- Transfer the soda bread to the baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, and until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm with plenty of butter, a sprinkling of sea salt and maybe the whiskey/raisin sauce that is below.
Bonus Whiskey/Raisin Sauce:
The origin of this recipe is waste not! And work with what you got, so after I was left with this delicious looking raisins/Whiskey mixture, I figured I should use it someway, somehow.
- To a small saucepan, add the whiskey/raisin juice and turn the heat to medium. Once the mixture reaches a simmer, add 2 teaspoons of butter. Turn the heat down to medium-low and mix until the butter is melted. The water in the butter will begin to cook out, resulting in foam. We don't want that business, so using a teaspoon, skim the foam off the top and discard. You should be left with a little less than ¼ of a cup of goodness. Drizzle on top of bread and enjoy.
Maggie Dunne says
I made this soda bread and it is the best I have ever tasted, hands down. I love it with the whiskey butter, great idea. Going to try it at my dinner this evening with friends.
Izzy says
I may have just submerged my face in the whiskey steam for a glorious st pattys facial 🙂 so delicious - thx for sharing!
Adrianna Adarme says
YAYY! Haha.
Tara Gutman says
Ha...I see my comments from last year. My little guy is now almost 3. He and his little brother enjoyed it again this year...but no bourbon butter for their pieces!
Tara Gutman says
This was awesome. I used the leftover bourbon (no Irish whiskey) from the raisins along with some brown sugar and a whole stick of butter to make bourbon brown sugar butter. It was easy and tasted incredible on the bread. I just whisked it all,together well and refrigerated in a ramekin. Killer.
Mike says
I've made a version of this bread for a few years now. I drain the whiskey from the raisins and heat it with a 2 TBSP of sugar cool and mix with some unsalted butter. The whiskey butter is awesome!
Tara says
I couldn't resist - I made it with them anyway...I'll make a second without 🙂
Melissa // The Faumxartha says
My new go-to soda bread recipe. So good, so good!
Adrianna says
Weeeeee!!!
Tara says
It really was perfect! I've made another soda bread recipe for YEARS. No more! Yours is it! It was so moist I couldn't believe it. A day later, even a few pieces not covered stayed moist...wow! And the box grater butter technique? Brilliant!
Tara says
Will the alcohol cook out or do I need to make a non-whiskey soaked raisin version for my little guy?
Adrianna says
Hmm...that's a good question. If the alcohol was in the bread, I'd say go for it but the raisins are soaked in the stuff so I say just skip that step.
Christina @ It's a Keeper says
I cannot wait to try this! The whiskey soaked raisins sound amazing! This sounds perfect for the cold snowy day we have today!
Thanks for sharing!
sandra says
I like the added whiskey in the mix. Nice touch.
Adrianna says
YES! Smart move.
Lindsey says
dope. i'm so into the idea of drunk raisins. i just made soda bread the other day, but didn't see your recipe until now...next time, for sure.
Heather says
Having people over for an impromptu st. Patty's day celebration. Found your recipe. I didn't have any Irish whiskey, hoping that bourbon will do in a pinch.
Adrianna says
Oh it totally will. It's a pretty subtle flavor to begin with so the bourbon will definitely work.
Cookie and Kate says
I have mixed feelings about raisins, but whiskey-soaked raisins? All for those! I'm not sure I've ever had Irish soda bread—traditional or not—but I might have to give it a try this weekend before the St. Patricks Day parade.
Adrianna says
I'm actually sort of a raisin-hater myself, but the whiskey makes them pretty awesome.
Bernadette @ Now Stir It Up says
How much more Irish can you get?? I read whiskey soaked and I almost didn't care what it was. 🙂 And the whiskey raisin sauce? How much better can this get!
Kelly says
This looks incredible and something I can't wait to try!! So festive!