Cranberry Soda Bread
The Cranberry Soda Bread recipe is ideal for breakfast, lunch, or hosting guests on Thanksgiving or Christmas. A variation of the traditional Irish Soda Bread. Like cranberry scones in texture and flavor.
Yield: 9
Materials
- 2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries
- 4 ½ cups of flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar divided
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Dash of salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2 TBS lime zest optional for a festive look
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- Coarse sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Assume a 350° oven temperature.
- A 10- to 12-inch cast iron pan or an ovenproof skillet with two-inch or better sides can be used to produce one big loaf; two smaller cast iron skillets, ovenproof pans, or cake pans can be used to make two loaves.
- Cut a circle of parchment paper large enough to cover the sides and bottom of your pan(s).
- Combine the cranberries and ¼ cup of sugar, then put them aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 ¼ cups sugar until well combined.
- To the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk, heavy cream, egg, cranberries that were tossed with sugar, and butter lime zest. Gently whisk until combined; do not stir too much.
- Scrape mixture into pan(s) and use a sharp knife to cut a shallow "x" in the middle of the dough to "let the faeries out". To get a lovely crust, dust the loaf(s) with ordinary or coarse decorator sugar. Bake for one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes, or until a toothpick or spear inserted comes out dry. If the loaves are smaller, check them after 45 minutes; otherwise, the baking time may increase to an hour.
- It's finished when a wooden skewer pushed into it emerges out it not "wet." Not batter, but wet crumbs will do. If you don't simply dig in as my family and I do, the bread will cool down a little before being removed from the pan(s) and allowed to cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
Advice: Before adding the cranberries to the batter, cut them in half and mix them with a little sugar if you want sweeter berries.
To make the loaf more sweet overall, include an extra 2-4 TBS sugar into the dough.
Because this recipe makes a huge loaf, I usually save 25–30% of the batter for a smaller bread for my family, which we devour nearly immediately! I check the smaller loaf after about 35 minutes, depending on its size; the larger loaf often takes an hour.As long as you keep it tightly wrapped, this is fantastic for several days after you prepare it. Simply zap a slice in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds to reheat it thoroughly and spread butter on it.
Wrap a hot loaf in foil if you plan to transport it, but be sure to leave the top open to avoid the heat trapping moisture in the crust.
To make the loaf more sweet overall, include an extra 2-4 TBS sugar into the dough.
Because this recipe makes a huge loaf, I usually save 25–30% of the batter for a smaller bread for my family, which we devour nearly immediately! I check the smaller loaf after about 35 minutes, depending on its size; the larger loaf often takes an hour.As long as you keep it tightly wrapped, this is fantastic for several days after you prepare it. Simply zap a slice in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds to reheat it thoroughly and spread butter on it.
Wrap a hot loaf in foil if you plan to transport it, but be sure to leave the top open to avoid the heat trapping moisture in the crust.