Irish Soda Bread

What is St. Patrick's Day without Irish Soda Bread.  I'm not really Irish but married into an Irish family.  My mother-in-law used to make the best Irish Soda Bread.  (Actually, it's the only one I've ever had, but I loved it from the first bite, some 35 years ago.) I've been making her recipe every year since for St. Patrick's Day.  For the past few years I have not been able to eat it.  Recently, I decided to try to make a gluten free version.  It turned out surprisingly good but I knew there were a few things I needed to tweak.  Tonight I made the new and improved, gluten free Irish Soda Bread and I have to say, it passed my taste test and that of my husband.  Try for yourself.

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups gluten free flour *
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 cup sugar - can make it slightly heaping for a little sweeter taste
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder

Mix dry ingredients and then add:
2 cups buttermilk (or 2 cups milk mixed with 2 Tabls. vinegar)
2 Tabls. melted butter

Stir well - may be thick, you can add a little bit more milk if needed
Mix in 1 cup raisins
2 tsp. caraway seeds (optional) - I don't like caraways seeds so I skip them

Put into greased loaf pan and pour 1 Tabls. melted butter on top, can sprinkle with 2 tsp. sugar, if desired

 Bake 375 degree pre-heated oven for 10 minutes then lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking an additional 50 minutes.  Toothpick inserted should come out clean.

*There are many flour and flour blends that are gluten free.  I prefer a mixture of tapioca flour, garbanzo flour, fava flour, sorghum flour.  Arrowhead Mills has a flour blend but there is rice flour in it that can make it somewhat gritty.  Bob's Red Mill also has a flour blend with garbanzo and fava flour.  I preferred to mix both Arrowhead Mills and Bob's and another called Bette's Gourmet Four Flour Blend.  By doing this I achieved the perfect consistency with no grittiness.

Enjoy!

Cathy