I think this Irish Soda Bread qualifies as one of those old family recipes that get handed down through the generations. However, this one was handed down to me by a great lady named Mabel Johnson, whom I've known for years.

Mabel made this recipe for a church St. Patrick's Day function, and my husband loved it so much I asked her to share it with me.Here it is:Irish Soda BreadYields 1 loaf4 cups all-purpose flour4 teaspoons baking powdercup sugar1 teaspoon salt1 cup raisins (prefer golden)2 teaspoons caraway seeds1-1/2 cups buttermilkteaspoon soda1/2 to cup waterCombine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, raisins and caraway seeds, and mix well.Combine buttermilk and soda; add to dry ingredients, mixing well.Add water gradually, stirring to form a soft dough.Spoon into a greased 10-inch tube pan. (I used a regular bread pan since I didn't have a tube pan.)Bake at 400 degrees for 55 minutes.Cool in pan on wire rack for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.I imagine you'll want to know what my husband thought of my version of Irish Soda Bread.Well, the top crust was quite crunchy (probably why the recipe calls for a tube pan), so he started by crunching out loud and making faces like his teeth were breaking. (He does that with everything I make.)However, as I left in a huff he called out, "I like it, I like it!"I knew he meant it when I heard him in the kitchen cutting another slice.