Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Soaked Raisins is a cross between a delicious slightly sweetened cake and a scone. As if that description isn’t enough to tempt your taste buds, I added a burst of smooth Irish whiskey used to plump the raisins! Don’t worry….the alcohol content is cooked out during baking. No need to card your guests. 😉 If you prefer to leave out the whiskey, that’s okay too. This Irish Soda Bread is still incredible without it.
The origin of Irish Soda Bread
Irish Soda Bread is a “quick bread” that uses baking soda as a leavening agent versus yeast. Soda bread is usually attributed to Ireland, however; this bread is a tradition among many countries; North America, Ireland, Poland, and Australia to name a few. Each area lends their own special touch to the recipe, adding such ingredients as honey, fruits, yogurt, nuts, and spices. I kept this recipe within the spirit of my Scotch-Irish heritage and added raisins and caraway seeds.
Serving Suggestions:
Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Soaked Raisins is the perfect treat on its own, or as a companion to a number of other dishes. Listed below are some of my favorite pairings.
- Served with pure Irish butter (Kerry Gold is fabulous!) and citrus marmalade, sipping a cup of hot Barry’s Tea
- Served along side a warm bowl of Guinness Beef Stew
- Used as a decadent sandwich bread with a hefty helping of savory corned beef layered in between
- Used in a whiskey bread pudding with a side of Bailey’s caramel sauce
How to make Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Soaked Raisins
Irish Whiskey Soda Bread with Whiskey Soaked Raisins is a next level recipe! The ingredients are simple and this bread recipe is very easy to master. If you prefer golden raisins, they work beautifully in this bread. Also, if the caraway seeds aren’t your thing…feel free to leave them out.
Equipment Used
Ingredient List
- Whiskey Soaked Raisins – Irish whiskey (I prefer Tullamore DEW), raisins
- Soda Bread – buttermilk, egg, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, butter, raisins, caraway seeds
Recipe Preparation
- In a small bowl, add the raisins to 1/2 cup Irish whiskey. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for no less than 6 hours. I allow mine to soak overnight. The raisins will plump after soaking, yielding big juicy pops of flavor in the bread.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Apply a thin coating of oil to a cast iron skillet. Baking this bread in a skillet is the traditional method, however; if you do not own a skillet, you can use a baking sheet, a cake pan, or a pie plate prepared with a light coating of cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Using a pastry blender, cut the cubed COLD butter into the flour until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
- Take whiskey soaked raisins out of the refrigerator and drain. Pour raisins out onto a paper towel to absorb remaining whiskey.
- Toss raisins into flour mixture and stir. Add caraway seeds and stir until ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the buttermilk/egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until a rough dough forms.
- Place dough onto a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, gently form the dough into an 8-inch circle. No kneading is necessary, but make sure the dough is pliable and no longer crumbly. Note: If the dough is too dry, add more buttermilk a little at a time. If dough is too sticky, add more flour a little at a time.
- Place dough disc on prepared cast iron skillet and score the top with a sharp knife. Bake bread for 40 to 45 minutes, or until center is cooked through, and top is golden brown. If top of bread is getting too dark before the end of baking, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Soaked Raisins can be served warm or at room temperature.
Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Soaked Raisins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Irish whiskey I used Tullamore DEW
- 1 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 Tbsp butter COLD
- 1 Tbsp caraway seeds
Instructions
Whiskey Soaked Raisins
- In a small bowl, add the raisins with 1/2 cup Irish whiskey. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for no less than 6 hours.
Irish Soda Bread
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Apply a thin coating of oil to a cast iron skillet. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can use a cake pan or pie plate prepared with a light coating of cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut the cubed COLD butter into the flour until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
- Take whiskey soaked raisins out of the refrigerator and drain. Pour raisins out onto a paper towel to absorb remaining whiskey. Toss raisins into flour mixture and stir. Add caraway seeds and stir until ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the buttermilk/egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until a rough dough forms. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, gently form the dough into an 8-inch circle. No kneading is necessary, but make sure the dough is pliable and no longer crumbly. Note: If the dough is too dry, add more buttermilk a little at a time. If dough is too sticky, add more flour a little at a time.
- Place dough disc on prepared cast iron skillet and score the top with a sharp knife. Bake bread for 40 to 45 minutes, or until center is cooked through, and top is golden brown. If top of bread is getting too dark before the end of baking, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Notes
- Serve with true Irish butter (Kerry Gold is fabulous!) and citrus marmalade with a cup of hot Barry’s Tea
- Serve along side a warm bowl of Guinness Beef Stew
- Use as a decadent sandwich bread with a hefty helping of savory corned beef layered in between
- Use in a whiskey bread pudding with a side of Bailey’s caramel sauce
Nutrition
