Irish soda bread
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter, cut into pieces
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants (you can substitute raisins if needed.)
2 teaspoons caraway seed, optional
3/4 cup Soymilk (I used the full-fat kind--Eden brand is best)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and grease a cast iron skillet.
Stir or whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl until evenly blended.
Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Stir in the raisins, currants (if using), and caraway seeds (also if using).
Make a well in the center of your mixture and pour in the soymilk and vinegar. Stir with a spoon until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface, and knead gently 8 to 10 times.
Place dough in skillet. It will flatten out a bit in the pan. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. (The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks). Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. It may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up. Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.
Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It's easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Cool the handle with an ice cube, or put a pot holder over it.
Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.
