Irish Christmas Soda Bread

The mother of all Christmas cakes—an everyday soda bread made special with imported fruit and spices. Irish soda breads, plain or fruity, are traditionally baked in a bastable, a three-toed iron pot that sat on the hearth and was converted into a miniature baking oven by heaping glowing peat sods on the lid. The bread is not intended for storage. To keep it soft, wrap it in a cloth. Eat within a day.