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Skillet Soda Bread Recipe
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Skillet Soda Bread Recipe

Servings 1 loaf
Author Brandon Matzek

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of dried currants
  • 1/4 cup whiskey
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for greasing the skillet
  • 4 cups flour, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
  • 1 3/4 cup buttermilk (shake up the carton and then measure), plus more for brushing
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Instructions

  • Place currants in a small bowl with the whiskey, and let sit for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Lightly grease an 10-inch cast iron skillet with butter.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups flour, sugar, baking soda and sea salt. Using your fingertips, work 4 tablespoons cubed butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg and orange zest. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and stir just until combined. Don’t over mix here. Stir in the currants with whiskey and fennel seeds.
  • Preheat an oven to 400°F, and place a rack in the middle position. Scrape dough out onto a floured work surface. The dough will be wet. Sprinkle dough with flour and knead a couple times to form a round loaf, adding more flour as needed if the dough sticks. Place the loaf in the prepared skillet, then, using a sharp knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. Brush the top of the loaf with buttermilk. Bake until the top of the bread is golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean (40 – 45 minutes). Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.