- 1 and 3/4 cups buttermilk*
- 1 large egg
- 4 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour , plus more for your hands and counter
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed*
- optional: 1 cup raisins or more if you prefer.
- Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Set aside. Whisk the (dry ingredients) flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. The mixture is very heavy on the flour, but do your best to cut in the butter until the butter is pea-sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture. Gently fold the dough together until the dough it is too stiff to stir. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can, then knead for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet/pan. Using a very sharp knife, score an X into the top. Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top. I usually place foil on top halfway through bake time.
- 400 degrees for 45 minutes. If oven too hot cover with foil for the last 10 minutes