I don't know who Nora is, but when I pulled her recipe off of the internet a year ago, I was really impressed with it. This recipe is a little different from those typically posted here because it isn't a yeast bread. Instead, this quick bread (read: EASY!) is made by reacting baking soda (basic) and buttermilk (acidic) to make the bread rise. Unfortunately I've tasted a lot of really bad soda bread. It does not keep well, and if the dough is overworked, a game of kickball might put the resulting loaf to better use. This recipe (while not exactly traditional) produces a really moist, wonderful loaf. Note that I use regular, all-purpose flour. This helps to reduce the formation of gluten, which would make the bread tough.
Mix Dry Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 8 oz. raisins, softened (soak in hot water, drain)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp caraway seeds (optional)
Mix Wet Ingredients:
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1/2 c. buttermilk
- 3 Tbsp. melted margarine
Combine wet and dry ingredients; knead together on a floured surface. Add to a greased, floured 9" pan. Cut an "X" in the top. Bake 55-60 minutes at 350 ˚F.
Note: This will make one big loaf or two smaller ones. You may, scale the recipe up by 0.5 to make two larger loaves.
