Irish Soda Bread
A simple loaf of Irish Soda Bread is quick, comforting and the perfect addition to your St. Patrick’s Day feast. But feel free to make it ALL year long!
This Easy Soda Bread is leavened without yeast, but instead baking soda (occasionally baking powder, too, but the name comes from soda). These are also called quick bread. Adding buttermilk enhances the rising potential with the chemical reaction between the alkaline soda and acidic buttermilk.
Why You Must Make
I had only made Irish brown bread before, so I followed this recipe pretty closely except for adding a few tablespoons of sugar. There were only 4 ingredients in this recipe: flour, soda, salt, and buttermilk. I didn’t even need to make out a shopping list.
- This easy bread recipe only needs 4 Ingredients: Flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk.
- A lovely dense loaf with a perfectly chewy crust came out of my oven after the 50-minute baking time.
- Despite its rustic look, this is a fabulous bread for such minimal effort. I got the “this is really, really good” response when I cut Bill a slice.
- This soda bread recipe comes from Marion Cunningham, cookbook author and food writer.
Soda Bread Ingredients
- Flour – All-purpose flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt – Table salt is fine
- Sugar – Not traditional, so it’s an optional ingredient.
- Buttermilk – You can make a buttermilk substitute with milk and an acid like lemon juice or vinegar. Real buttermilk is always preferred.
- Dried Fruit – Currants are classic, but any dried fruit like cherries or cranberries will be a delicious addition. Chop if needed.
How to Make
- Preheat the oven, grease the baking dish, then measure all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients together until they’re well combined.
- Add the buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for just a minute or so. Shape into a 6-inch ball, slice an X across the surface, then bake as directed.
Recipe Tips
- My Italian friend, Ann, recommends mixing the dough with your hands to give the bread a light and airy consistency. Her version also has a stick of butter and is quite tasty! Using a whisk is perfectly acceptable, too.
- The dough should be well-blended, but not overworked. As with all quick bread (those using baking powder and/or baking soda), they will develop tunnels if over-mixed.
- The dough should be heavy, but not too wet. If it seems too dry you can add a bit more buttermilk.
- I like to dust my hands with flour to shape the bread into round loaves.
- Ann uses the wrong end of a fork to cut a deep X into the loaf. I used a sharp knife instead. This provides the classic look of homemade soda bread. It also helps the loaf to bake evenly.
- Dusting the top with flour before making the cut will make the X stand out.
- Adding raisins is a traditional option, though one my family would not appreciate.
- I’ve added dried cherries in the past, but I’m the only fan of those around here! Raisins are more traditional.
- Bake in a cake pan or cast iron skillet (the skillet will give a better rise).
- Inserting a knife into the bread at the end of the baking time will tell you if your bread is done. It should come out clean if the bread is fully cooked.
Later, I made a second loaf, a half batch with the addition of 1/3 cup of dried cherries. Soda Bread with Raisins is a more traditional option, but I prefer cherries. This smaller Irish soda bread loaf was baked for 35 minutes. I hope you all had a marvelous St. Patrick’s Day. Erin Go Bragh!!!
Frequently Asked Questions
In the 1800s, the cross on this Irish bread was thought to keep the Devil escape from the bread as it baked. It’s also a symbol of giving thanks.
Use the recipe’s baking time for guidance. But also watch for the slash to expand and the loaf to be golden brown.
Wait until it cools completely before serving. Serve plain, with butter or with butter and jam or marmalade.
Wrap it well and store it at room temperature. This is a bread that is best on the day it is made as its lack of fat makes it dry out quickly.
You May Also Like
- St. Patrick’s Day Desserts from Hoosier Homemade
- Sunflower Whole Wheat Bread
- Homemade Pita Bread
- Irish Cream Pots de Creme
- Irish Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Plus all my Best Bread Recipes
Irish Soda Bread Recipe
A classic loaf of Irish soda bread!
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar (my addition, optional)
- 2 cups buttermilk*
- 1 cup dried cherries, optional
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch pie plate or baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt (and sugar if using). Whisk in the buttermilk until the dough comes together. Add dried cherries or other dried fruit, if using.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for a minute. It should be soft and malleable but not overworked.
- Pat it into a 6-inch dough ball and place it in the pan. Cut an X into the top.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown and the X has widened. Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Recipe from Baking with Julia.
*If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make your own by mixing 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of milk (less the one tablespoon). Let rest for a few minutes to let thicken and curdle.
May add raisins, currants, dried cherries, or other chopped dried fruit to the bread dough.
Best eaten on the day it's baked.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 441Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 899mgCarbohydrates: 93gFiber: 3gSugar: 26gProtein: 12g
75 Comments on “Irish Soda Bread”
Your loaf looks great! Next time I make this I’m using dried fruit.
Your bread looks gorgeous Liz.
and your pics are amazing. sigh!!
really beauty dear Lizzy, i love the cherries inside, nice work dear:)
Beautiful, Liz.
Dried cherries sound like a great addition.
Love the dried cherries 🙂 I also made a large X in mine so it was pretty rustic but that’s kind of the point, no?
You do have some talent for making bread and rolls! These loaves look amazing as well as delicious. Also, great choice adding the dried cherries, for I am not much of a raisin fan. Have a great day Liz!
Both loaves are absolutely beautiful. I love rustic breads like this, especially when they use so few ingredients.
Oh, they’re both beautiful–I especially love the addition of dried cherries!
Both loaves look fantastic! I was unsure of how deep to cut my X when I baked this, too. I think you got it just right!
I am admiring how perfectly you made this soda bread. That first pic is so wonderful and then of course the rest with the little black spots on top.
Home baked bread is the best and soda bread is a winner as it’s so much quicker than a yeast bread – yours looks wonderful!
Mary x
Wonderful! I have never baked a single bread in my life, so I’m always impressed to see such perfect achievements. I would love to taste the dried cherry one…
One bread I have never tried yet! You have diffinitely inspired me… hopefully will have time this weekend and make this one… looks amazing love it!
I never had soda bread, both the bread looks perfect, especially the one with dried cherry,sound Yummy,well done !!
Ridwan
I love freshly baked bread. Both the breads look delicious and the dried cherry bread makes my mouth water.
YUM.
I’ve never made or had a soda bread. But yours looks too good to resist! Great job Liz!
Both of your loaves turned out beautifully, Lizzy. I really like the rustic look of the first one with the deeper cuts.
Yum, your bread looks so pretty. And I love the addition of cherries, I would put dried cherries in everything if I could 🙂
I would give this is “oh this is good” too – love soda bread…and really, the butter and preserves that go on it.