In lieu of the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day festivities, it felt right to share a family recipe of one of the most popular Irish foods, Irish Soda Bread. Regardless of your culinary abilities, this treat is easy to make or easy to purchase at your local supermarket.

To start off you will need the following ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups of raisins

(Raisins are the most important ingredient in these recipes, as they are the key to a moist and delicious loaf)

After you collect these ingredients, its time to roll up your sleeves and put on some Irish folklore music and get started.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine.
4.  In the same bowl, stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly.
6. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet.
7. In a small separate bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk and ‘brush’ the loaf with this mixture.
8. Then, use a sharp knife to cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf.
9. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. 
10. Wait for it to cool, and then enjoy.

Although St. Patrick’s Day is truly an American holiday, it is still a fun celebration for the Irish and non-Irish alike. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!