Irish Soda Bread

Would it be St. Patrick’s day without Irish Soda Bread? Not in my house! Put on the kettle and enjoy a slice of this buttermilk-enriched, raisin-filled traditional Irish Soda Bread with a hot cup of tea.

What is Irish Soda Bread?

Irish soda bread is a “quick bread”. Quick breads get their lift from a chemical leavener (baking soda) instead of yeast. As soon as the bread is mixed it’s ready to bake. 

With no yeast or fussy fermentation, no rolling or cutting, soda bread is even easier to make than muffins or biscuits.

If you keep a sourdough starter, you can make Sourdough Irish Soda Bread or Sourdough Irish Brown Bread with your discard. 

Recipe Ingredients

• Unbleached all purpose flour 
• Salt
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Butter 
• Raisins (optional)
• Buttermilk

How to make Irish Soda Bread

• Whisk together the dry ingredients.

• Cut in the butter and toss in the raisins.

• Add the buttermilk all at once.

• Start mixing with a spoon, then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and finish mixing by hand.

• Cut a deep “X” on the loaf for the traditional soda bread shape. This also promotes even rising.

Tips for making Traditional Irish Soda Bread

• This dough is so easy to make you don’t need a mixer. Mixing by hand helps ensure that you won’t over work and toughen the dough. 
• The dough can be a little sticky. If your hands get coated with the sticky dough don’t try to wash it off with water, it’ll just get stickier and leave a mess in the sink. Dip your hands into the flour bin to coat them. Holding your hands over the trash can, rub them together vigorously and the sticky dough will come off easily.
• Cutting a deep X in the top of the loaf before it goes in the oven ensures that it will rise evenly without splitting in random places.
• The raisins are optional but highly recommended.
• If the raisins on the surface of the dough burn in the oven, just pick them off (careful, they’re hot) when the bread comes out of the oven.

All you need is a little creamery butter and maybe a dollop of Blood Orange Marmalade for the perfect teatime treat.

Let’s not limit soda bread to St. Patrick’s day. It’s so easy to make and so tasty it should be enjoyed year-round.

Looking for more Irish inspired recipes?

• Honey Kissed Irish Whiskey Cake
• Irish Brown Bread
• Baileys Pot de Creme
• Baileys Bundt Cakes
• Baileys Cheesecake
• Baileys Chocolate Macarons
• Guinness Fudge Cake
• Triple Guinness Cake
• Irish Tea Brack
• Irish Apple Cake
• Irish Coffee Trifle

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.

Print Recipe

4.72 from 25 reviews

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

By: Eileen Gray

Homemade soda bread is so much better than store-bought. With no yeast or fussy fermentation, no rolling or cutting, soda bread is even easier to make than muffins or biscuits.

Prep Time30 mins

Bake Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

24 servings

US CustomaryMetric

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 20 ounces unbleached all purpose flour (4 cups)
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 ounce granulated sugar (2 tablespoons)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ ounces unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 6 ounces raisins (1 cup)
• 16 ounces buttermilk (2 cups)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Sift or whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Use your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients until there are no pieces larger than the size of a pea. Toss the raisins with the dry ingredients.
  20 ounces unbleached all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon table salt, 1 ounce granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ ounces unsalted butter, 6 ounces raisins
• Add the buttermilk all at once and mix until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated. The dough may seem dry at this point but it will come together.
  16 ounces buttermilk
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead about 15-20 times to form a smooth ball. Place the loaf onto the prepared baking sheet. Use your hands to flatten the ball slightly. Use a sharp knife to cut a 1/2″-3/4″ deep X into the top of the loaf. Brush the loaf with buttermilk.
• Bake until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom or the middle of the loaf is about 200 °F, 45 minutes to an hour.

Equipment

My Book

Half Sheet Pans

Parchment Sheets

Pastry Brush

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Notes

This recipe makes one large or two smaller loaves. If you split the dough into two smaller loaves adjust the baking time accordingly. The recipe can also be halved to make one smaller loaf.

The bread is best the day it’s made, but will keep several days at room temperature. It will keep in the freezer for 1-2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!