Note: This post was one of the first posts I ever published. My cousin, Caitlin, who has done extensive family research, says Grandma, Lucy Finnerty Dunican, is from County Mayo. Slainte!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all! I have one, and only one, recipe from my grandmother who emigrated from County Sligo, Irish Soda Bread, and I've made 13 loaves of it in the last 6 days, for clients, and family, and friends, and — if truth be told — I made a mini-loaf, and ate it all by myself!
Grandma's Irish soda bread
1/2 c raisins*Preheat oven to 375°. Soak raisins in very hot water for 10 minutes to soften them.
2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t caraway seeds, optional
1 c buttermilk**
grated rind of 1/2 orange***
Sift together dry ingredients, orange rind, and caraway, if using. Drain and towel dry raisins, add to dry ingredients.
Moisten with enough buttermilk to form a slightly sticky dough. Form dough into a round loaf on an ungreased baking pan. Slice a cross into the top of the loaf.
Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 300°, bake for 40 minutes longer. Cool 10 minutes before slicing. Best served warm with butter.
*My friend, Karen, said her mother used a combination of raisins and currants. I'll try this next time.
**If you do not have buttermilk available, you can combine 1 c milk and 1 T white vinegar and let stand for 10 minutes.
***My husband doesn't like the grated orange rind, so this year I substituted ¼ t orange extract and it worked perfectly.
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