Irish Tea Bread

This is a delicious little quick bread from my good friend Rita. Best served warm with butter, it's a hearty bread that goes well with tea (obviously) or coffee. It is simple to make and freezes well, so make some for a leisurely weekend breakfast. :)


Irish Tea Bread
from Rita
Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cup raisins
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
raw/turbinado sugar, to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 x 4 or 9 x 5 loaf pan.

Place raisins in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, let sit about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, softened raisins, melted butter, and egg. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix just until combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle raw sugar over top.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until toothpick stuck into center comes out clean.