From the
original Good Housekeeping cookbook with a few small changes -- very good and
easy.
Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup currants
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 ½ cups buttermilk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart round casserole.
In large bowl with fork, mix flour and the next 4 ingredients. With pastry
blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in
currants.
In small bowl with fork, beat eggs and yolk slightly; remove 1 tablespoon and reserve. Stir buttermilk into remaining egg; stir into flour mixture just until flour is moistened (dough will be sticky).
Turn dough onto well-floured surface; knead about 10 strokes to mix thoroughly. Shape into a ball; place in casserole. In center of ball, cut 4-inch cross ¼ inch deep. Brush dough with reserved egg.
Bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool in casserole on wire rack 10 minutes; removed from casserole and cool completely on rack.
Makes 1 loaf.
