Although I don’t have the slightest fraction of Irish blood in me, Tony has a history of getting Irish soda bread at Radford’s Bakery (long since closed) in Aspen Hill, MD. With St. Patrick’s Day coming up this week, he tried Ina Garten’s recipe for the sake of tradition and sharing with the readers.
My oven doesn’t like to heat to 375 so it took about 15 minutes extra and we covered it toward the end so it wouldn’t get too dark. Just keep testing it with a toothpick and it should sound a little hollow when you tap the top.
Irish Soda Bread
4 C flour, plus 1 T for currants
4 T sugar
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
4 T cold unsalted butter, cut
1 3/4 C buttermilk, shaken
1 egg
1 t grated orange zest
1 C dried currants
Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl. Add the butter and mix on low speed until combined.
Lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture while beating on low. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour then mix into the dough. It will be very wet.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
