Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe
This traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe is a delectable no-yeast bread that uses buttermilk and baking soda for leavening. An effortless addition to an Irish supper menu for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration!
Try out 1 of these fun St. Patrick’s Day breakfast suggestions, then have this effortless Irish soda bread with corned beef (and mustard sauce) for supper.

What is Irish soda bread?
As its identify would imply, Irish soda bread is a basic no-yeast bread which originated in Ireland. The dense chewy bread manufactured with basic components became an Irish staple for the duration of the potato famine in Ireland in the late 1800’s. This rustic bread recipe uses soda (baking soda) and buttermilk for leavening as an alternative of yeast.
What does traditional Irish soda bread flavor like?
This traditional soda bread will not flavor like most home made breads, given that it does not use yeast as a leavener. The taste is mild and the bread preferences related to a biscuit or English scone. This recipe provides raisins for a bit of included taste and sweetness.
Like a biscuit or scone, Irish soda bread is best served with a topping these types of as honey or jam, or served with a meal or soup to sop up broth.
Linked: Our Favorite Soup Recipes
What is in Irish soda bread?
Traditional Irish soda bread includes just a couple low-cost, commonly out there components:
- flour
- sugar
- baking soda
- salt
- butter
- buttermilk
- egg
as well as optional raisins for included sweetness and taste.
Can I substitute typical milk as an alternative of buttermilk?
No! The acidity of the buttermilk brings together with the base of the baking soda to kind a chemical reaction that leavens the bread. Remember your 3rd quality science job, the volcano? Same idea, only the volcanic gas is producing air bubbles inside of the bread dough, resulting in it to increase and offering it a great chewy texture.
How do I make my very own buttermilk?
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, or don’t want to acquire an full carton, you can make your very own buttermilk alternative by mixing typical cow’s milk with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar.
Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice with 1 scant cup (just a lot less than a cup) of milk. Permit the combination stand for five-ten minutes to thicken, then use in your recipe.
Alternately, you can slender yogurt, sour product, or kefir with a bit of milk as a substitute for buttermilk. It’s significant to have both the dairy and the acid factors for the texture and leavening of the bread.
How do I retain the raisins from sinking to the base of the bread?
Toss the raisins with a bit of flour to even coat them right before mixing them into the bread for the duration of the last phase of mixing (right before kneading). The flour coating on the raisins “sticks” with the flour and baking soda combination in the bread to assist the raisins continue to be evenly dispersed as an alternative of sinking.
This put up includes affiliate links. Learn a lot more and go through our comprehensive disclosure plan here.
How do you make Irish soda bread from scratch?
The comprehensive recipe is below, but related to many unleavened no-yeast breads:
- Mix dry components.
- Lower in butter using a pastry cutter/blender.
- Mix soaked components and insert to dry components.
- Knead in flour right up until the dough is no lengthier sticky.
- Shape and bake in a Dutch oven, skillet, or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
So basic! Make it jointly as a loved ones for a new St. Patrick’s Day custom.
Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Irish Soda Bread
Prep Timetwenty mins
Prepare dinner Time45 mins
Components
- 4 cups all-reason flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons chilly unsalted butter, slice into tiny items (1/2 adhere)
- 1¾ cups chilly buttermilk shaken
- 1 Egg flippantly beaten
- 1 cup raisins (optional)
Recommendations
-
Mix dry components in a massive bowl – flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
-
Spot raisins in a bowl and insert about 2 teaspoons flour combination, coat raisins (this will assist them from settling on the base)
-
Working with a pastry blender or mixer, slice in chilly butter
-
In a tiny bowl, combine buttermilk and egg, conquer flippantly with a fork. Increase liquid components to dry components.
-
Fold raisins into combination
-
On a closely floured surface, knead dough. Function with about fifty percent of the dough, it is really simpler that way. You want to insert sufficient flour so it is really not sticky, but not way too substantially flour
-
Preheat oven to 375 levels. Line dutch oven with parchment paper or spray with non-adhere cooking spray. You can also use a solid iron skillet, baking dish or cookie sheet.
-
Kind dough into a ball, and put in a pan. Working with a sharp knife, make an X on the top of the bread.
-
Bake for about 45-60 minutes dependent on the measurement of your loaf.
-
Retail outlet in airtight container
Additional bread recipes and guidelines:
