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Spotted dog
Raisin soda bread
White soda bread studded with raisins, also called railway cake
Spotted dog, or 'spotted dick' and 'railway cake' in parts of Leinster, is white soda bread with a handful of raisins and a little sugar, the sweet loaf Irish grandmothers bake for the afternoon tea or Sunday visitors. It is soft, slightly cakey and best warm, split and buttered. Chef's tip: toss the dried fruit in the flour first so it stays spread through the loaf instead of sinking.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 16 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 oz cold butter
- 4 oz raisins or sultanas
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan). Sift the 16 oz plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, ½ tsp salt and 2 tbsp caster sugar into a bowl and rub in the 1 oz cold butter.
4 minStep 2: Stir in the 4 oz raisins or sultanas so each one is coated in flour.
1 minStep 3: Beat the 1 egg into the 1 ½ cups buttermilk, pour into the dry mix and stir with a knife until it just comes together as a soft dough.
2 minStep 4: Shape gently on a floured tray into a 20 cm round, cut a deep cross in the top and bake for 15 minutes.
17 minStep 5: Turn the oven down to 375°F (350°F fan) and bake 25 minutes more, until golden and hollow-sounding underneath. A common mistake is heavy handling of the dough, which squeezes out the gas and makes it dense.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does spotted dog take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
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