Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Soaked Raisins

Slightly sweetened Irish Soda Bread with big plump whiskey raisins is positively decadent with a smear of Kellygold butter!

3.86 from 7 votes

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Course: Bread Recipes

Cuisine: Irish

Servings: servings

Calories: 389kcal

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.

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.

Serving Suggestions:

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