Irish Soda Brown Bread

Last year for my husband's birthday, we went out to dinner at a local Irish pub, walking distance from the apartment we were living in at the time. Upon taking our seats, we were served a basket of Irish brown bread & butter. It was such a delicious combination of hearty and sweet that if given the choice, I would have happily eaten the whole basket of bread for dinner & nothing else!

As I gathered all the ingredients I needed to make my family's Irish soda bread recipe earlier this week, the deliciousness of that bread came to my mind so I decided to make some modifications to the traditional recipe. My husband, my mom, and I all taste-tested and approved of the result so if you decide to try it out, I hope you like it too!

What's great about soda bread is that it can be eaten with any meal. We've already had it this week at breakfast, served with eggs, at dinner, dipped into sausage stew (recipe coming soon :), and as a snack, with butter and jam. This recipe makes two medium loaves so I usually throw one in the freezer to keep it fresh.

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{Irish Soda Brown Bread}

2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oats
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. brown sugar (can be substituted with turbinado sugar)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pt. sour cream
11/2 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. In a food processor, grind oats until the same consistency as flour. I used the milling blade on my Baby Bullet. Sift the first five ingredients. Stir in sugar, eggs and sour cream, then raisins. Without using your hands, spoon batter into two mounds on the cookie sheet. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

{Enjoy!}

And, along with the Saint Patrick's Day theme, if you're in the mood for an excellent fiction series about the history of Ireland, check out this post I wrote earlier this month! :)