By Ashley Xu

With Saint Patrick’s Day approaching on March 17, you may already be gathering your green clothes and shamrocks. To make things even more festive, The Banner would like to share a quick traditional Irish recipe that is not only perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day, but is also great to make any time of the year: Irish Soda Bread!

Ingredients:

• 4 to 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons butter, cubed and slightly softened
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 ¾ cups buttermilk

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
• Using your fingers, work the butter into the flour and add in the raisins.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the egg and buttermilk.
• Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is too stiff to stir.
• Gather the dough into a rough ball shape. If the dough is too sticky add up to ½ cup more flour.
• Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. (Note: the loaf should be a little sticky).
• Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased cast iron skillet (or baking sheet). Use a serrated knife to score the top of the loaf with an “X” shape.
• Bake until golden brown (about 35-40 minutes).
• Remove the bread from the oven and let cool. Then serve!