My grandmother, Mary Casey O'Brien, made the best Irish Soda Bread in the whole entire world. Crumbly and chewy and perfectly delicious. Years and years ago, I remember my mother asking her for the recipe. Nana had no written-down list of ingredients to press into her hand, but she did talk her daughter-in-law through through the baking process, as her little granddaughter sat by in the kitchen munching raisins and keeping out of the way. Imagine the delight that little girl felt upon finding the recipe all smudged and tattered from years of use and just in time for St. Patrick's Day.
Here is the recipe exactly as my mother wrote it down over thirty years ago:
4 cups flour (any or all purpose)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 spoon baking soda (not a full spoon, maybe 3/4 of a teaspoon)
3 or 2 tablespoons sugar
1 pint sour cream in bowl
put 1 cup milk--stir with the sour cream
1 good cup raisins
(2 caraway seeds) Grease frying pan and flour
350 one hour
Fortunately, we have a cast iron skillet all ready for this project and a great many children more than willing to stir, pat, and munch raisins. I'll let you know how it turns out!