With just a handful of ingredients you can make this fantastic tasting Irish soda bread right in your slow cooker! Serve warm with butter and maybe some jam!
Grease the inside of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker by spreading it with butter, shortening or non-stick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Cut in the softened butter with a pastry blender or a hand held mixer until the dough is crumbly.
Stir in the buttermilk, slowly 1/4 cup at a time, just until the dough forms a ball. You may not need all of the buttermilk. If your dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, if it is too dry add a little more buttermilk.
Add in buttermilk, slowly about 1/4 cup at a time, just until dough moves towards center of your bowl. You might not need all of it.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about one minute, until smooth.
Shape dough into a round loaf about 6 to 8 inches in diameter.
Place loaf into bottom of prepared slow cooker. You can also place into a pan first and put inside slow cooker. (See notes)
Cut an X about a half-inch deep across top of loaf.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. Bread is ready when it's golden brown.
Serve with butter and jam if desired.
Notes
To bake Irish soda bread in a loaf pan, find a pan that will fit inside your slow cooker. Grease the inside of the pan with butter, shortening or non-stick cooking spray. You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly as the bread may take a little longer to cook in a loaf pan.