American-Irish Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway
In the days after September 11, 2001, I felt drawn to comforting and easy meals to provide solace and a sense of home. My stepbrother, a chef at Cantor Fitzgerald's in One World Trade Center, was lost that day, and his love for cooking, inspired by his mother, has always been a cherished memory. Julie Lestrange, my stepbrother's mother, has always greeted my family with delicious food, and I'm delighted to share her Irish bread recipe, a symbol of love and remembrance.
In the days after September 11, 2001, I felt drawn to comforting and easy meals to provide solace and a sense of home. My stepbrother, a chef at Cantor Fitzgerald's in One World Trade Center, was lost that day, and his love for cooking, inspired by his mother, has always been a cherished memory. Julie Lestrange, my stepbrother's mother, has always greeted my family with delicious food, and I'm delighted to share her Irish bread recipe, a symbol of love and remembrance.
- Carbohydrate 105.601468534638 g
- Cholesterol 122.100000029574 mg
- Fat 37.1211006814152 g
- Fiber 4.23242522092173 g
- Protein 14.4189515208261 g
- Saturated Fat 22.7665410805422 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (304g)
- Sodium 7270.06165800832 mg
- Sugar 101.369043313716 g
- Trans Fat 3.00099879181872 g
- Calories 795 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degreesF. Generously butter heavy ovenproof 10- to 12-inch-diameter skillet with 2- to 2 1/2-inch-high sides.
- Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse crumbs form. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.
- Whisk buttermilk and egg in medium bowl to blend. Add to dough; using wooden spoon, stir just until well incorporated (dough will be very sticky).
- Transfer dough to prepared skillet; smooth top, mounding slightly in center. Using small sharp knife dipped into flour, cut 1-inch-deep X in top center of dough.
- Bake until bread is cooked through and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Cool bread in skillet 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in foil; store at room temperature.)
A dry inventory of flour, buttermilk, and leaveners fails to reveal how quickly this wet dough transforms from a shaggy mass into a structured loaf once the liquid hits the bowl. Baking soda reacts instantly upon contact with the acidic buttermilk, meaning every second spent hesitating between mixing and baking diminishes the eventual rise. Working efficiently with cold butter cut into small cubes ensures that pockets of fat remain solid rather than melting prematurely into the flour, which creates a tender interior crumb rather than a dense, heavy brick. Rubbing that butter into the dry components using only the fingertips prevents hand heat from softening the fat before the skillet goes into the oven. When measuring the caraway seeds, remember that dried spices lose their volatile aromatic compounds over months in the pantry, so older seeds require a slightly heavier hand or a brief toast in a dry pan to release their characteristic pungent oils compared to freshly opened jars. Whisking the egg into the liquid dairy beforehand distributes the protein evenly, preventing localized pockets of heavy dough. Dipping the knife blade in flour before cutting the signature deep X into the mounded center prevents the sticky dough from clinging to the steel and dragging the top out of shape. That score mark is functionally critical; it allows the thick interior to expand evenly under direct heat without bursting the sides of the crust. Letting the loaf rest in the heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet for precisely ten minutes post-oven allows residual heat to set the bottom crust before turning the heavy mass onto a wire rack. Storing the wrapped bread at room temperature for up to twenty-four hours actually mellows the sharp bite of the caraway and integrates the sugar throughout the crumb.
