Soda Bread With Currants

I am so tired. I slept all day yesterday-just couldn't hold my head up for more than a few minutes at a time. Today was somewhat better, but I can feel a whopper of a cold coming in (ears, nose, body aches). Danny's already sick with a bacterial thing that refuses to go away (we're on the third course of Sulfa now-all this as a secondary infection following chicken pox. I mean gosh, the chicken pox weren't bad, but this infection just will not go away), and now he has an eye infection-swell. I guess that means back to Omaha to the doctor (again) tomorrow. I knew there wouldn't be time for baking a bead-hence the soda bread.

This bread is so easy you can make it with one hand while holding a phone in the other talking to your mother-in-law, which is what I did. Five minutes to throw it together, forty minutes in the oven. The recipe is rather basic and you could do it with half whole wheat flour if you like. It can be sweeter as well, but I know Danny will eat it with cheese and jam so there's no pint in turning it into something rich.

Blogging might be sparse for a bit depending how things go around here.

You Will Need:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (you may not need it all)
1/2 cup currants

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking pan.

In a bowl, mix dry ingredients and currants. Slowly add the milk just until you have a soft dough that comes together-use a wooden spoon or your hand, but don't use a mixer as it will work the dough too much.

Shape into a ball, flatten it slightly and cut a cross into the top. Bake 20 minutes, rotate and bake about 20 more, watching it does not burn. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Cool completely on a rack before slicing. If you prefer a softer crust, cover the bread with a towel as it cools.

Makes 1 small, dense loaf.