Irish Soda Bread with Tart Cherries

Loaf of Irish Soda Bread with Dried Cherries, on a cutting board.

Irish Soda Bread with Tart Cherries

A sweet and easy to make bread that uses baking soda for leavening...so just a touch of kneading and no waiting! Perfect with dried fruit and a finish with demerara sugar on top.

Course Breads

Cuisine american, irish

Keyword bread, breakfast, cherries, dinner, dried, irish, soda

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings Servings

Calories 430kcal

Author Barb

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
8 ounces butter chilled and cut into 8 slices
1 ¼ cups buttermilk (see Notes)
1 egg
1 cup tart cherries dried (see Notes)

For the glaze:

2 tablespoons butter melted
2 tablespoons buttermilk

For the Top:

2-3 tablespoons demerara sugar

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 375º
In a food processor (see Notes to use a mixing bowl), combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; pulse just to mix thoroughly.
Add the chilled butter and pulse until the butter is incorporated with the dry ingredients and about half the size of a pea. Put into a mixing bowl. Add the dried cherries and mix to coat with dry ingredients.
Combine the buttermilk and egg in a measuring cup or bowl and whisk to combine. Pour into the flour mixture and stir to combine all ingredients.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. The dough should not be sticky; add a bit of flour if necessary if it is. Form the dough into a round and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons of melted butter and buttermilk and brush onto the dough. Using a knife, cut an cross mark into the top of the loaf. Sprinkle the top with the demerara sugar and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes

Buttermilk - most buttermilk in the grocery store is simply cultured milk so I make so I simply make my own version which adds an acid to regular milk to get a result.

For one cup milk, start with juice from half a lemon. Mix the lemon with the milk and wait a couple of minutes; the milk should thicken; if not add the juice from the 2nd lemon half and mix; allow to thicken before adding to the recipe.

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Dried, tart cherries - Irish Soda Bread often includes raisins but can be made without any fruit; use what you prefer.

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Mixing without a food processor - Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork or grate the butter on a large box grater and gently work it into the flour until incorporated.

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