Mini Irish Soda Bread Loaves (with Cranberries)

One of my favorite St. Patrick's day recipes is hearty Irish Soda Bread.  I have great memories of helping my mother cut in the butter and watching her knead the dough. 

In my experience, the best recipe cards or clippings are the most food covered.  The recipe, clipped from a magazine 30 years ago, is darkened with age and dotted with buttery circles. 

My mother's casserole dish is taking a year in favor of a couple of muffin pans.  If you choose to bake in a 2 quart round casserole, adjust the baking time to approximately 1 hour, 20 minutes.  In either case serve the warm bread with a generous spread of butter.



Cut the butter into the
dry ingredients 

Flour and butter mixture
with cranberries

Mixed dough

Ready for the oven

Mini Irish Soda Bread Loaves (with Cranberries)

• 4 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (or currants or raisins)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten (divided)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  The recipe makes approximately 18 muffin sized loaves.  Butter the muffin pans and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
3. Cut the cold butter it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender (or two knives used in a scissor fashion) until it resembles course crumbs.
4. Add the cranberries and mix gently.
5. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the beaten eggs.  Stir in buttermilk and remaining eggs into the flour mixture until just combined.  (The dough will be sticky.) 
6. With floured hands, knead about 10 strokes to mix thoroughly.  Break off large golf ball size pieces of dough and loosely shape into a ball.  Place one ball in each of the buttered muffin cups.
7. Repeat until the dough is completely divided between the cups.
8. Brush the dough with the reserved beaten egg. 
9. Bake the bread for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
10. Allow the bread to cool and store in a zip top bag or freeze for longer storage.