Professor Butter Beard’s Irish Soda Bread Muffins
One dozen muffins
1 ½ cups dried currants, soaked overnight in apple cider
1 Tbsp caraway seeds, toasted and cooled
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4 Tbsp canola (or vegetable) oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup Greek yoghurt
Sanding sugar to finish
1) The night before, soak the currants in apple cider (or water).
2) Line your muffin tin with paper liners. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
3) Toast the caraway seeds and set aside to cool.
4) In a standing mixer, use the paddle to mix the sugar and lemon zest until slightly damp and aromatic. Add the caraway seeds and mix just to combine. Add the flour, baking powder and soda and salt. Mix for one minute to thoroughly combine. Remove the bowl from the standing mixer.
5) Using a microwave, melt the butter in a glass quart-size measuring cup. Whisk in the oil, then the yoghurt, then the eggs.
6) Drain the currants and fold them into the dry mixture using a spatula. Add the wet mix and fold until just thoroughly mixed. Portion the mixture into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the top of the un-baked muffins with sanding sugar.
7) Place the muffin tin on the center rack of the oven. Close the oven door and reduce the temperature to 400 degrees. Bake for fifteen minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another five minutes to finish.
