Irish Soda Bread with Dried Apricots

Fiona’s first year of preschool is speeding by! I swear, each day at pickup I see her patiently waiting in front of her cubby, lunchbox in hand, she looks a whole year older. The school is a co-op, so each family has a job. Naturally, ours is to coordinate the kids’ cooking activities. Once a week, the children get to participate in a cooking activity. Usually things are pretty hands-on (mixing, measuring, chopping, etc.), and afterwards of course, they enjoy the fruits of their labor at snack time!

This past week we made Irish soda bread. It was a huge hit, so I knew I had to whip up a version for the blog. And when I say that this recipe is simple, know that a dozen or so 3 and 4 year olds were able to bake a few perfect loaves . . .

This recipe uses dried apricots, for little pops of sweetness throughout the lovely, soft crumb. And of course, there is plenty of that classic, crunchy soda bread crust that we all know and love. Enjoy!

Irish Soda Bread with Dried Apricots

With its crunchy crust and tender crumb, this simple take on a classic Irish soda bread is gently sweetened with apricots, and lovely with a spread of butter.

Servings: 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup diced dried apricots
• 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon butter (melted)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 400° F. Add a piece of parchment paper to the bottom of a cast-iron skillet.
2. Whisk all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt together for a minute so they are well combined.
3. Cut the softened butter into 1/4 inch pieces and add to the flour mixture. Rub the butter pieces into the flour mixture with your fingers until you don’t feel any more clumps of butter.
4. Add the dried apricot pieces and stir until combined.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in your buttermilk.
6. Use a rubber spatula to stir the buttermilk into the flour, just until there aren’t any loose flour bits left. Do not over mix - the dough with be uneven, that is okay.
7. Use your hands to bring the dough together in a rough round about 6 inches across.
8. Transfer the round of dough to your prepared skillet. Use a sharp knife to cut a cross through the center of the round, not quite edge to edge, but close and about 1/2 inch deep.
9. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until nicely golden brown on top and a cake tester used in the center comes out clean.
10. Brush the melted butter on top while still warm.
11. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.

NOTES

Specialty tools and ingredients used:

• 12 inch cast iron skillet

(images by HonestlyYUM)