Irish Soda Bread Currants (Printable Version)

Lightly sweetened Irish quick bread with currants and caraway seeds, offering a tender crumb and aroma.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 2 teaspoons caraway seeds

→ Add-ins

06 - 3/4 cup dried currants

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, plus more for brushing
08 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
09 - 1 large egg

# How-To:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with butter.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and caraway seeds until thoroughly blended.
03 - Add currants to dry mixture and stir until evenly distributed throughout flour.
04 - In separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and egg until smooth and combined.
05 - Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. The dough will be sticky; do not overmix.
06 - Turn dough onto floured surface and gently knead a few times to bring together. Shape into round loaf approximately 8 inches wide.
07 - Transfer loaf to prepared baking sheet. Using sharp knife, cut deep X across top of loaf. Brush lightly with additional buttermilk.
08 - Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and wooden skewer inserted into center comes out clean.
09 - Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing to ensure proper texture.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • This bread comes together in under an hour with no yeast or proofing time required
  • The combination of currants and caraway creates that distinctive Irish bakery flavor you cannot find in stores
02 -
  • The dough will feel stickier than you expect but this is exactly right so resist adding more flour
  • That deep X cut is not decorative it helps the bread bake evenly and prevents the center from being doughy
03 -
  • Make sure your buttermilk is cold when you mix it into the dough for the best rise
  • Let the knife cool under running water before scoring if it sticks to the dough

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