Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Homemade soda bread has a tender crumb and lightly tangy flavor that’s worlds better than anything you’ll find at the grocery store.
Sourdough Irish soda bread is an easy and delicious way to use sourdough discard. This quick bread is made without yeast, using baking soda for lift, and comes together in minutes.
If you’re looking for a heartier loaf made with whole wheat flour, try sourdough Irish brown bread instead.
If you don’t have a starter, you can make traditional Irish Brown Bread, traditional Irish Soda bread or Oatmeal Apricot Soda Bread.
If you don’t already have one, I can show you how to make a sourdough starter and how to feed a sourdough starter.
Table of contents
What makes this a sourdough soda bread?
This soda bread uses sourdough discard for flavor, not fermentation. The bread is leavened with baking soda, so there’s no long rise and no active starter required. The discard adds a subtle tang and keeps the crumb tender.
Recipe Ingredients
How to make Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Combine the buttermilk and sourdough discard.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Mix the ingredients until they form a “shaggy” dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just until all the flour is absorbed.
- Form the dough into a smooth ball.
- Brush the loaf with buttermilk and cut a deep “X” in the top of the dough.
- Brush the top of the loaf with buttermilk and bake.
Recipe Tips
- This dough is so easy to make you don’t need to use a mixer. Mixing by hand helps ensure that you won’t over work and toughen the dough.
- Very old or overly acidic discard can overwhelm the flavor, so aim for discard that smells pleasantly sour, not sharp.
- 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.
- 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.
Storage
Sourdough Soda Bread is best the day it’s baked, but will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. Do not refrigerate soda bread. Soda Bread can be frozen as a loaf or pre-sliced.
One of my favorite ways to eat day-old sourdough soda bread is to generously butter a slice of bread then toast in on a griddle until it’s golden brown. Topped with a little jam, it’s heavenly.
Since you’ve got your starter fed, peruse the entire list of My Best Sourdough Recipes. Have fun!
I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a star rating and a quick comment. Ratings and comments help my recipes show in search results. Thanks!
Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 17 ½ ounces unbleached all purpose flour (3 ½ cups, see note )
- 1 ounce granulated sugar (2 tablespoons)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ ounces unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 6 ounces raisins (1 cup)
- 12 ounces buttermilk (1 ½ cups)
- 8 ounces sourdough discard (1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, sift or whisk together 17 ½ ounces unbleached all purpose flour, 1 ounce granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon table salt and ½ teaspoon baking soda. Use your hands to work 1 ½ ounces unsalted butter into the dry ingredients until there are no pieces larger than the size of a pea. Toss 6 ounces raisins with the dry ingredients.
- In a large measuring cup, combine 12 ounces buttermilk with 8 ounces sourdough discard. Add to the dry ingredients all at once and mix until almost combined. The dough may seem dry at this point but it will come together.
- 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 a sharp knife to cut a ½"-¾" deep X into the top of the loaf. Brush the loaf with buttermilk.
- Bake until the middle of the loaf is 200 °F, about 45-50 minutes for a large loaf and about 30-35 minutes for small loaves.
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This sourdough soda bread is truly delicious . Tender crumb , great flavor.
Definitely a favorite
I haven’t tried a recipe I didn’t love
I don’t have an oven. Will this work in an upright breadmaker? Thank you.
Do you mean a bread machine? I’ve never used one but I’m guessing it would work if the machine bakes bread. Can anyone who has a bread machine confirm that it would work?
Do you have to use raisins in it? I would love them, but most of my family would complain about it!
No, you can leave them out.