Quick and easy, this Irish soda bread recipe is a classic. Our version is made with flour, baking soda, buttermilk, raisins, egg, and a pinch of sugar and salt. Don’t let the simplicity fool you – it’s a real sentinel and takes less than 45 minutes to complete.
In this recipe
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Why the cross in the middle?
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Ingredients for Irish Soda Bread
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How long does Irish Soda Bread keep?
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What is Traditional Irish Soda Bread?
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buttermilk substitute
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It seems everyone has their favorite Irish soda bread recipe. Some with cumin, some with raisins, some with both, some with neither.
Video: How to make Irish soda bread
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Irish soda bread
Why the cross in the middle?
Why the cross in the middle? Scoring the dough helps the heat reach the center of the loaf as it bakes.
Ingredients for Irish Soda Bread
This soda bread is a slightly more sophisticated American take on the Irish classic, with a little butter, sugar, an egg and some redcurrants or raisins on the base. You can bake it in a cast iron skillet (now that’s traditional!) or on a regular baking sheet.
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You can also make a simpler version without eggs or currants, add some cumin seeds, or you could turn your soda bread dough into cookies.
How long does Irish Soda Bread keep?
Soda bread dries out quickly, so it’s really only good for a day or two. It is best freshly baked and eaten warm or toasted. Store it wrapped in plastic wrap or foil.
That means you can make it ahead of time and freeze it (let it cool to room temperature first). Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap first, then in aluminum foil. It will keep frozen for up to 2 months.
Prepare more Irish style breads
- Cumin Soda Bread
- Oatmeal Soda Bread
- Soda Bread Cookies
- Irish whole wheat bread
- Guinness bread with molasses
What is Traditional Irish Soda Bread?
Traditionally, bread in Ireland was baked in a pan because the wheat that grew there was so-called “soft” wheat, which contained less gluten than its counterparts in America. The native Irish wheat did not interact well with yeast and did not rise very well.
Hence the introduction of baking soda as a leavening agent, which reacts with the buttermilk to form small bubbles of carbon dioxide that approximate the chemical reaction of yeast.
What we call traditional Irish bread came about because Native Americans used a type of wood ash as a leavening agent to make bread without yeast. This method of making bread was introduced in Ireland in the 1830s.
Different types of soda bread are popular across Ireland, but all are fairly simple, everyday breads. They could be found in every household to mop up stews or enjoy with a cup of tea. The Northern Irish divide their dough into 4 triangles, while the Southerners make their dough round with a cross on it.
Here in America we like to add ingredients like cumin, currants, raisins or honey. Modern Irish soda bread may contain nuts, orange peel, or even Guinness.
However you enjoy your soda bread, make sure it comes fresh out of the oven, a chunk torn off, and some good butter spread.
buttermilk substitute
This soda bread recipe has few ingredients, so it’s best when made with real buttermilk. However, there are a few buttermilk substitutes that work well and still react with the baking soda to help the bread rise. Kefir works especially well, or you can dilute yogurt with regular milk to the consistency of buttermilk.
You can also acidify milk with lemon juice or white vinegar. Place 2 skimpy tablespoons in a measuring cup and add whole milk for a total of 1 3/4 cups. Stir and leave for a few minutes until the mixture curdles, then proceed with the recipe as directed.
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What to serve with Irish Soda Bread
- Classic corned beef and cabbage
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Irish beef stew
- Irish lamb stew with bacon
- Healthy Shepherd’s Pie
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Irish soda bread
ingredients
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4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
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1 tablespoon sugar
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1 teaspoon Salt
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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4 tablespoon Butter, diced and slightly softened
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1 Cup currants or raisins
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1 big eggbeaten easily
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1 3/4 cups buttermilk
method
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Preheat the oven:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
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Whisk together the dry ingredients:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
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Work in the butter and add the currants:
Using your (clean) fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse flour. Then add the currants or raisins.
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Add egg and buttermilk:
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Add the beaten egg and buttermilk to the well and stir in with a wooden spoon until the batter is too stiff to stir.
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Shape the dough:
With floured hands, carefully form the dough into a rough ball shape. The dough will be soft and sticky. If it’s more of a dough than dough, add up to 1/2 cup more flour until you have a sticky, shaggy dough.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky and quite shaggy (a bit like shortcrust cookie dough).
You want to work it just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just comes together. Shaggy is good. If you overwork the dough, the bread will become chewy.
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Points with an X:
Transfer the batter to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet).
Using a serrated knife, score the top of the dough in an “X” shape about an inch and a half deep. The purpose of scoring is to direct the heat to the center of the dough during baking.
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bake golden brown:
Place in the oven and bake at 225F until the bread is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35 to 45 minutes. (If you’re using a cast iron skillet, it may take a little longer since the skillet takes longer to heat up than a baking sheet.)
Also check the doneness by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
Tip 1: If the top gets too dark during baking, cover the bread with some aluminum foil.
Tip 2: If you are making the bread in a cast iron skillet in the oven, be very careful when removing the skillet. It’s easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Be sure to place a potholder over it.
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Cool, slice and serve:
Remove the pan or sheet from the oven and let the bread rest in the pan or sheet for 5 to 10 minutes. Then leave to cool briefly on a wire rack.
Serve the bread warm at room temperature or sliced and toasted. Best eaten warm and simply baked.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 263 | calories |
| 5g | Fat |
| 47g | carbohydrates |
| 7g | protein |
