Description
These Irish Soda Bread Muffins offer a delightful twist on traditional soda bread, baked into individual muffin portions for a quick and easy treat. Flavored with currants and subtle caraway seeds, they provide a tender crumb and a slightly sweet, hearty taste, perfect for breakfast or a snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 3/4 cup (85g) King Arthur Golden Wheat Flour or 3/4 cup King Arthur Irish-Style Flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/3 cup (74g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (177g) currants or 1 1/4 cups (186g) raisins, currants preferred
- 1/2 to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, to taste
Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup (227g) buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream
- 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, melted; or 1/3 cup (67g) vegetable oil
Topping
- Coarse sparkling sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Lightly grease a standard muffin pan or line it with paper liners and grease those liners to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, golden wheat flour (or Irish-style flour), baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, currants or raisins, and caraway seeds until evenly combined.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the large egg, buttermilk (or yogurt or sour cream), and melted butter (or vegetable oil) until smooth and well blended.
- Mix Batter: Quickly and gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a bowl scraper or large spoon. Stir just until all ingredients are moistened; avoid overmixing to keep muffins light and tender.
- Fill Muffin Cups: Spoon the stiff batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about three-quarters full. The batter will appear mounded in the cups. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sparkling sugar for a sweet crunch.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, indicating they are fully baked.
- Cool: Remove the muffins from the oven. To prevent soggy bottoms, invert the muffin pan so the muffins are upside down and let them rest for 5 minutes. Then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve: Enjoy these muffins plain or with butter and jam for a delicious breakfast or snack option.
Notes
- Using currants instead of raisins is the traditional choice and adds a slightly tart flavor.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute vegetable oil for butter and yogurt or sour cream with a non-dairy alternative.
- Do not overmix the batter to avoid tough muffins—stop mixing as soon as the ingredients are combined.
- Coarse sparkling sugar adds a lovely crunchy topping but can be omitted if not available.
- Storing muffins in an airtight container at room temperature will keep them fresh for up to 2 days; for longer storage, freeze them.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Keywords: Irish soda bread muffins, soda bread, muffins, Irish baking, quick bread muffins, currant muffins, caraway seed muffins
