Princesses Amelie: How to make Irish Soda Bread

Chia suggested we bake raisin bread for Daddy's snack so we thought we'd show you how to do it. It's very fun but you have to follow the instructions step by step -don't leave any out else it might not work.
NOTE: Must have two (or more) kids to lend their expert cooking skills. Don't have two? Ok then, even one will do.

Step 1: Practice kneading on homemade play dough while mummy gets the bread ingredients together.

No cook play dough recipe
2-4 cups flour
1/4 cup salt
1 cup hot tap water
splash of oil
food colouring

Add more flour in as you knead to make it not stick & be just the right texture. Easy! (we made ours back in August and it's still working great. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.)

Step 2: Choose a recipe. Hmm... no yeast left, lets find another recipe

Step 3: Get started with measuring

Step 3: Use your hands to "sift"

Step 4: Do the important measuring while your big sister is occupied with "sifting"

Step 5: Must count the cups of flour -good math practice you know.... One...

Two...

Four!
(No photo of three, mum was laughing too hard)

Step 6: Prepare the raisins

Step 7: Sift some extra flour onto the counter and floor for good measure

Step 8: Mince your raisins... just for fun (This is what a grown-up is good for)

Step 9: Add the liquids a cup at a time


Step 10: Add the raisins
VERY IMPORTANT: Test the flavour of the raisins. I like to call this a "quality control check"


Step 11: Mix it all up-focus intently when mum checks to see if you're still eating -I mean doing a "quality control check" on the raisins


Step 12: One last "quality control check"


Step 13: Divide the dough in half and lovingly shape into two rough circles


Step 14: Place on a floured greased oven tray & cut a 1cm cross into them.


Step 15: Brush tops with melted butter & bake at 190 degrees C for 30-40 mins or till it sounds hollow when tapped


Step 16: Photograph the tired grown up with flour and dough covered hands to show how much you love her

Step 17: Pull it out and cool it down for 3 hours

Step 18: Dig in (with butter or cream cheese of course)

Click to watch something that Chia insisted on stating ad infinitum after tasting the bread

Ahh, satisfaction. There's nothing like the taste of home made bread. Oh, we'd better save some for daddy!

The End.

PS. We love baking and hope to make this sometime soon. (Don't worry Al, the goods are stowed in the freezer till we can do it -won't be long now!)