In 2008 I posted my grandmother’s Irish soda bread recipe on my first blog, cooking the hard way. It turned out to be my most popular post ever. I’m thinking its about time I shared the recipe again. This time around I was inspired by one of the commenters on that first post to make the dough into scones instead of one big round. It’s delicious either way. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
Adelaide Bartow’s Irish Soda Bread
- 4 cups sifted all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 to 1 1/2 cup seedless raisins
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda.
Wisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in raisins. Whisk together the egg and the buttermilk. Stir in the baking soda. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Bake in greased 1 or 1 1/2 quart casserole for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Turn it out of the pan and allow to cool slightly before cutting.
Or to make scones, turn the dough out on to a well floured surface and pat it into a disc about an inch thick. (If the dough is very soft and sticky, you may want to work an extra tablespoon or two of flour into the dough.) Use a 2 to 3-inch biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass dipped in flour to cut the dough into rounds. Place scones at least an inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 8 to 12 scones.
forgottenpickles.com 
Love handwritten family recipes. :)
Yum! Thank you and happy St. Patrick’s Day!
thanks kate I’ll try the scones next time Happy St Patricks Day
Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Thanks for sharing your family recipe.
I love this! I love the old recipe card and I love that you shared the recipe! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I just put this in the oven! This posting appeared in my inbox simulataneously with my search for a good Irish soda bread recpie. Thank you, Adelaide Barstow. And thanks Forgotten Pickles!!
So i entered nanny’s Soda bread at the contest at Holy Child St. Patrick’s Dance,only to get second place beat out by Sam who arrived an hour late with a warm loaf!
Um, I think that’s cheating!
I’m all over this! I miss my nanny! she emigrated from Gort at age 19 and I loved all her stories and or course her wonderful brogue! Nanny wasn’t a cook really, so my recollections of her and soda bread involve the ones I bought for her at the irish shop in town. Nevertheless, everytime I see or eat soda bread, my thoughts go to spending time with her and her wonderful funny WAAAYYYYY ahead of her time feminism! Thank you for finding my blog and the privilege of copying your nanny’s recipe!