Raisin Cinnamon Irish Soda Bread

Thank you to whoever came up with Irish Soda Bread! If there's anything about baking that I will probably suck at for a really long time, it's dealing with yeast and making yeast breads. It just takes so long, is extremely tedious, and the results I get are crappy no matter what I do. :(

This recipe just gave me hope in being able to have delicious yeast-like bread without the yeast! I can't believe what an amazing job the baking soda did, the loaf was crusty on the outside and very soft on the inside. It's SO EASY to make, even for beginners! Great for breakfast, but if you're looking for some bread to serve with dinner, just omit the sugar and cinnamon, and replace the raisins with some seeds (sesame seeds, caraway seeds, or ground flax works awesome)

If you can't tell by the picture, the loaf was about the size of my head. I wasn't confident when I put it in the oven, since it started out the size of a softball, but boy did it rise!

Raisin Cinnamon Irish Soda Bread (Low fat) makes 1 loaf, 15 slices

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 cups 1% buttermilk
• 2/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (first 6) with a whisk. Slowly add buttermilk, stirring with a spoon until a soft dough is formed. Fold in raisins.

On a floured surface, knead the dough for 1 minute. Shape into a round and slightly flattened ball. Using a sharp knife, make an 'X' at the top of the dough (about 1/2" deep). Bake for about 40 minutes until golden. You can test the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the centre of the loaf, if it comes out clean it's done! Let it cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy! :)

per slice: 125 calories, 0.5 g fat, 27 g carbohydrates, 3.8 g protein