Irish Soda Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. margarine
1 c. raisins
1 Tbsp. caraway seed
1 1/3 c. buttermilk or 1 1/3 c. milk with 1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 c. sugar

Preparation

Heat oven to 350\u00b0. Sift flour, soda, salt and sugar together into a large bowl.
Add butter.
With a pastry blender or two knives cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Stir in raisins and caraway seed.
Add milk gradually.
Mix until well blended.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board or pastry cloth and knead about 1 minute.
Cut dough in half.
Shape each half into a round ball.
Place on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten the balls slightly with the hand.
With a knife, make a shallow cross on the top of each ball.
Bake about 1 hour, until well browned.
Cool.
Makes 2 loaves.