Irish Soda Bread

This is a super simple recipe and my Dad’s favorite treat. You don’t even need to be good at baking as the original measurements were not exact, but it’s super delish. This recipe came from my Mom. When my Mom was dating my Dad she found out he was hypoglycemic.  She wanted to bake him something but had to find a recipe that didn’t use too much sugar. Googling wasn’t an option at that time, which sounds so crazy, so she asked her friends in school for suggestions.  Someone she was in nursing school with gave her a recipe that was her grandma’s.  You know it is a family recipe when it calls for “handfuls” and “to taste”.  When she made it for my dad, she put only ¼ cup of sugar so that he could eat it.  There is a lot of natural sweetness because of the raisins so you really don’t miss the extra sugar.  So that he could have a breakfast treat he could enjoy, she made it for Christmas morning one year.  Everyone loved it!  So from then on, it was a staple and a tradition every Christmas.  No wonder everyone loves this sweet-ish bread;  hot out of the oven it is toasty and warm and you spread butter on top that melts into the loaf making it extra special.  It freezes well so you can make it ahead for whenever you feel like treating yourself!