By Anne Rogers
Afamily tradition in our household, my mom and Fountain Valley resident, Mary Heslin, has been baking this bread for family, friends and neighbors for many years.
This recipe has been handed down over several generations, originating in County Cork, Ireland. Mary’s children and now grandchildren continues the tradition of making this bread to enjoy with a cup of tea or by itself slathered with lots of butter and jam.
Ingredients
1 ½ c buttermilk 2 eggs 2 tablespoons butter (slightly melted) 3 ½ c all-purpose flour ½ c sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 c raisins
1 c raisins
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs and butter and set aside. Do not mix, instead let the mixture come to room temperature before adding it to the dry ingredients.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a round cake pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the raisins to the dry mixture, gently separating them by hand.
4. Whisk together the buttermilk mixture from step 1, then pour it into the dry ingredients and mix until it blends into a dough and you cannot stir it anymore.
5. Using lightly floured hands, gather the dough and form into a ball shape. The dough should be sticky, not runny (you can add a little more flour if it is too sticky).
6. On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a round loaf as best as you can.
7. Transfer the dough into the greased cake pan.
8. Bake for approximately 1 hour. You can loosely tent the top with aluminum foil if you notice the top getting too brown.
9. Check for doneness also by inserting a knife into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
10. Allow to cool, then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.
11. Cover and store any leftover bread. We usually store it tightly in aluminum foil. This bread can also be frozen as a loaf or in slices.