Recipe: Irish Sweet Bread

IRISH SWEET BREAD

1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour or unbleached white flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups sour milk
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup citron
1 1/2 cups currants

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease two loaf pans.

Combine the shortening, sugar, and molasses in a large bowl, and cream thoroughly. Add the egg and blend well.

Combine the sifted flour, the baking soda, and salt, and sift together. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour milk to the creamed mixture, a little at a time, blending well after each addition. Chop the raisins and citron and add, together with the currants, to the batter. Put equal amounts of batter into each prepared pan.

Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Makes 2 loaves
Source: New York Times Bread & Soup Cookbook by Yvonne Young Tarr