Both of Dean Scanlon’s Irish immigrant grandmothers were named Rose, but she only knew and has recipes from her mother’s mother. “I carry their name as my middle name and keep this recipe close, never letting more than a year go by without baking this bread for people I love,” she says. St. Patrick’s Day is an obvious good day to bake this treat, but Rose’s bread is a winner any time of year.
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 heaping tablespoons
- caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- Butter for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a large cast iron frying pan or other oven-safe baking dish.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins, and caraway seeds in a large mixing bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until there are no dry spots.
Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the center is cooked through. Cool for at least ten minutes before slicing and serve with plenty of butter.
DID YOU KNOW?
Caraway seeds aren’t seeds; they are the fruit of the caraway plant, a member of the parsley family. Their use— as a condiment, an ingredient in love potions, a medicine to reduce bloating, and even a form of currency—goes back thousands of years.
Jennifer R. Scanlon is the John S. Osterweis Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies and senior vice president and dean for academic affairs. She is the author of Bad Girls Go Everywhere: The Life of Helen Gurley Brown and Until There Is Justice: The Life of Anna Arnold Hedgeman. She will step down as dean at the end of the 2025–2026 academic year and return to teaching after a year’s sabbatical.
This story first appeared in the Winter 2026 issue of Bowdoin Magazine. Manage your subscription and see other stories from the magazine on the Bowdoin Magazine website.
