This one is hubby's favorite because of the sugar on the top and the lyrical name. -Grainlady Milo O'Sullivan's Currant-Nutmeg Soda Bread 3 c. all-purpose flour 1/4 c. granulated sugar 1 t. baking soda 1/4 t. each salt and nutmeg 1/4 c. unsalted butter 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 c. buttermilk 1/2 c. currants Additional sugar for sprinkling 1. Place rack in bottom third of oven. Heat oven to 425-degrees F. Have an ungreased cookie sheet ready. (Grainlady note: I cover it with a sheet of parchment paper.) 2. Put flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg into a large bowl. Add butter and cut in with pastry blender or mix with fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in currants. Stir in buttermilk until a stiff dough forms. 3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just enough to shape into a ball. Put smooth side up on cookie sheet. Pat into 7-inch round, slightly mounded. 4. Sprinkle with 2 t. sugar. With sharp knife, cut a deep cross in dough, slightly more than halfway through. 5. Bake 35-40 minutes until loaf is deep golden brown. Line a cooling rack with a linen or cotton dish towel (NOT a terrycloth towel). Place bread on towel. Cool 5-10 minutes, then fold towel loosely over loaf and cool completely. If you have some currants and buttermilk left, try this King Arthur recipe. Someone from the Garden Web posted it in 2009, sorry, I don't remember who, and I've made it many times since. Irish Soda Bread Muffins 1\-1/2 c. King Arthur Unbleached All\-Purpose Flour 3/4 c. King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour 2 t. baking powder 1/4 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 1/3 c. granulated sugar 1\-1/2 c. currants 1/2 to 2 t. caraway seeds (to taste \- optional) 1 large egg 1 c. buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream 6 T. butter, melted; or 1/3 c. vegetable oil sparkling white sugar, for topping 1\. Preheat the oven to 400\-degrees F. Lightly grease a standard muffin pan; or line with papers, and grease the papers. 2\. In a medium\-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants and caraway seeds. 3\. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter (or oil). 4\. Quickly and gently combine the dry and wet ingredients; honestly, 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. 5\. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups about 3/4 full; the stiff batter will look mounded in the cups. 6\. Bake the muffins for 20\-minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Tip the muffins in the pan, so their bottoms don't get soggy. Remove them from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a rack to cool. Serve them plain, or with butter and/or jam.

Reporting back VERY late here. Life in general and business challenges have taken up much of my free time over the last week. Thanks for all the recipes for both the bread and desserts. I did send out a few emails too. Alexa had the recipe that I made last year so I went with that one again. I'll be trying some of the others too. I forgot how good this simple bread is. I love the idea of cupcakes Katie. Here is my results and the recipe. I might have cut that cross pattern a little deep. LOL Sunday Best Irish Soda Bread by Martha Stewart 1 loaf By adding egg, sugar, caraway seeds, and butter to a traditional Irish soda bread recipe, you create a loaf that is fit for a Sunday breakfast or brunch. Wrapped well with plastic wrap, it can be stored at room temperature until the last crumb is eaten. Like all Irish soda breads, this freezes well. 4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 tablespoons caraway seeds 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold 2 cups golden or dark raisins 1 1/2 scant cups buttermilk 1 large egg 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 large egg yolk 1 tablespoon heavy cream Heat oven to 350�. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds until well combined. Using a pastry cutter or two knives in scissor fashion, cut in butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. Stir in raisins until evenly distributed. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. It should resemble a rough biscuit dough. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Lift the loaf from the bowl, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. With a sharp knife or razor, incise a cross, about 1/2 inch deep, into the top of the loaf. Transfer to the oven. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer bread from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. THanks for the dessert recipes too. Ann, I love your caramel sauce! Didn't we call that cake gravy a few years back? : ) Alex that chocolate cake is on the list! You know I love anything chocolate. Sharon thanks for the apple dessert recipe too. I have a few that need to be used up so I just might take that on this weekend. I ended up make six dozen sugar cookies for the office crew and the insurance company that leases space from us in our building. I'll be trying the Rye Bread recipe too Ann. I have another Corned Beef in the freezer that I want to make just for Reuben Sandwiches. Claire, no raisins for me either. LOL Love the caraway seeds though. THanks again to all y'all!! David

Eileen, here is a recipe from a few years ago that someone else with the name Eileen was looking for. Posted by Eileen (ecr531@webtv.net) on Wed, Apr 11, 01 at 9:18 Hi all.... I am looking for a recipe for a yeast free bread, due to a yeast allergy. I know others have used baking soda. Can anyone help? TIA Follow-Up Postings: o RE: LOOKING for: yeast free breads? clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by Jane (jakeandjane@accesswave.ca) on Fri, Apr 13, 01 at 22:57 Eileen: Here's a bread recipe I found that uses baking soda AND baking powder. Haven't made it yet so don't know what it is like, but the reviews for it sounded OK. I got it from epicurious.com, searching under bread. (BTW, most Irish soda breads use baking soda instead of yeast.) If you want a regular-shaped loaf of bread, bake it in a loaf pan. There would probably be a slight change in the baking time so keep a close eye on it. Jane IRISH SODA BREAD - A perennial favorite on both sides of the Atlantic, this raisiny bread makes fine, fragrant toast. 4 cups bread flour 1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup raisins or dried currants, rinsed in hot water and patted dry 1 tablespoon caraway seeds 2 cups buttermilk Into a large bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the salt, and the baking soda and stir in the raisins and the caraway seeds. Add the buttermilk and stir the mixture until it forms a dough. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute. Halve the dough, with floured hands shape each half into a round loaf, and transfer the loaves to a lightly greased baking sheet. Cut an X 1/4 inch deep across the tops of the loaves with a sharp knife. Bake the loaves in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer the loaves to racks and let them cool. Makes 2 loaves. Gourmet October 1991

LOL, LindaC!!!! ... just a big muffin!!! LOL good one! Yup, I was wondering because there's nothing more in it than flour, oats, baking soda and baking powder, salt and buttermilk.