So who says Irish soda bread HAS to be made in a round or loaf pan? These coffee-break-sized muffins, bursting with tiny sweet currants and a hint (or a hit, your choice) of caraway, are the perfect offering for St. Patrick's Day - particularly if you're looking to celebrate with Something other than corned beef and cabbage!

This is not at all a traditional Irish soda bread, which would be simply made with whole-wheat flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Thoroughly Americanized, these muffins have traveled a long, long way from their Irish origin - as have most of us Irish-Americans.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (1 tablespoon reserved for sprinkling on top)
• 3/4 cup currants (first choice) or raisins
• 1/2 to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds (the effect will range from faint to assertive)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk (or plain yogurt, or sour cream)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 1/4 cup) butter or margarine, melted,(OR ¼ cup vegetable oil)

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants or raisins, and caraway seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk (or equivalent) and melted butter (or equivalent). Quickly and gently combine the dry and wet ingredients; honestly, this won't take more than a few stirs with a bowl scraper or large spoon. As soon as everything is evenly moistened, quit; further stirring will cause the muffins to be tough.

Spoon the batter into 12 lightly greased cups in a standard muffin pan, filling the cups about 2/3 full. Bake the muffins in a preheated 400°F oven for 15 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and cool them on a wire rack. Serve them plain, or with butter and/or jam. Yield: 12 muffins.

Tim D. Culey
Baton Rouge, La.