- 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange peel
- 4 tablespoons sweet, unsalted butter
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1 cup raisins or a mixture of dried fruit bits
- 1-2tablespoons caraway seeds
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, orange peel, and sugars, together.
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, or pinch the butter between your fingers, until it has the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds.
In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk and the egg. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients. The mixture will be sticky.
Turn the dough out on a floured board and knead the dough until it becomes a smooth ball. Add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board and to your hands, but not much more than that. You don't want the dough to become dry. Knead for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Form dough into a round loaf. Pinch a small handful of dough and gently twist, being careful not to tear the dough from the loaf. Place the dough, pinched side down in a greased Dutch oven or a greased cookie sheet. This pinching and twisting gives the bread a tighter and taller shape, but you don't really need to do it.
Use a floured knife to cut a deep cross on the top and down the sides of the loaf. This lets the bread cook without cracking and helps the bread cook faster. Before putting the bread in the oven, brush the top with milk or with a beaten egg yolk.
Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees for another 30 to 35 minutes. The bread will be nicely browned and a toothpick stuck down into the center will come out clean. Lift the loaf out of the pan or turn it over and give it a thump with your finger. It should sound hollow when it is done.
Cool the bread on a rack for at least 30 minutes and then slice and slather on lots of butter.