Serves: 12Prep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 1 hour
MARIO: Saint Patrick’s Day is a pretty big deal around these parts because Bill Herlihy, our Executive in Charge of Production, brings in loaves and loaves of his family’s famous Irish soda bread for The Chew crew. The recipe has been around for generations, and let me tell you, it causes quite the feeding frenzy around the office. After a lot of begging, we were finally able to get Bill to give up his secret family recipe for what we feel is the best soda bread ever created. It’s light and flaky, baked to perfection, almost like a giant biscuit or scone. Served warm with a little salted Irish butter, it’s ideal for any breakfast or afternoon snack.
3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted Irish butter, cut into small cubes and frozen
1 8-ounce container sour cream, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 cups raisins
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
Salted Irish butter, to serve
1. Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack set in lower third part of oven.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the butter to the dry ingredients, tossing to coat, and press between fingers until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand. Then, stir in the sour cream and egg. Stir in the buttermilk, then the raisins and caraway seeds (if using) and mix until sticky dough forms.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a floured bench scraper, form into a round loaf. Using a sharp knife, score a large “X” in the center.
6. Place on the prepared sheet pan and transfer to oven. Bake until loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. If top begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of aluminum foil.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
8. Slice and serve slathered with softened, salted Irish butter.
