Top O'the Morning To You...

I wanted to start our St. Patrick's Day off right, so I baked a loaf of lovely Irish Soda Bread.

This recipe was inspired by a friend's grandmother, and it makes one loaf.

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. butter

1 cup raisins

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 cups of buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.

Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to blend until it resembles coarse meal. Then, stir in raisins.

Add beaten egg and buttermilk and mix until it is stiff. You may need to add a bit more flour. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead slightly. Shape into a round loaf.

Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet. Score the top of the dough with an "X" shape. Bake the bread until golden and sounds hollow when tapped. It took at least 40 minutes.

I prefer it warm, so what we didn't eat right away, I toasted and spread with butter. Delicious!