Irish Soda Bread Muffins

I’m not Irish…I don’t even own one piece of green clothing but I sure have fun with the holiday!

When my girls were little toddlers, I would wake them up in the morning in my Irish brogue (well, my Polish Slovak Irish brogue)…

and would talk to them all day in my brogue…

I would hide little treasures in the house and we would find their “pots of gold”.

When they became teenagers, they told me I sounded ‘stupid’ but I would do it anyways just to annoy them.

When they moved away, I stopped the tradition. They all called me the day after St. Patrick’s Day complaining that I ignored them on St. Patrick’s Day and they missed my broken brogue.

Geez. Can’t win!

Here’s my contribution to the holiday – Irish Soda Bread Muffins!

They are light, delicious, loaded with currants and a hint of caraway seeds…

And best of all – easy!

Simply mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another.

Mix with a wooden spoon until just moistened – don’t over mix for you will toughen the flour.

Scoop into muffin tins and bake.

That easy.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and yours. I have to practice my brogue for tomorrow morning, I’ll be calling the little leprechauns in California and Colorado with a

“Top o’ the morning to ya!”

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

A Kitchen Muse: King Arthur Flour

Recipe type: Breakfast

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 12

A light muffin bursting with currents and a hint of caraway.

Ingredients

1½ cups unbleached flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups currants or raisins
½ to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, to taste
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream
6 tablespoons butter, melted; or ⅓ cup vegetable oil
sparkling white sugar, for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Lightly grease a standard muffin pan; or line with papers, and grease the papers.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants or raisins, and caraway seeds.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk (or equivalent) and melted butter (or equivalent).
Quickly and gently combine the dry and wet ingredients; this won't take more than a few stirs with a bowl scraper or large spoon.
As soon as everything is evenly moistened, quit; further stirring will cause the muffins to be tough.
Spoon the batter into the pre
Top with sparkling white sugar, if desired.
Bake the muffins for 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Remove them from the oven.