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–+ servings
a slice of irish soda bread with butter and marmalade
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4.60 from 30 reviews

Sourdough Irish Soda Bread

Eileen Gray
Sourdough Irish Soda bread is an easy and delicious way to use sourdough discard. Homemade soda bread is so much better than what you’ll find in the grocery store.
Prep Time30 minutes
Bake Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Servings:24 servings

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 the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt 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.
  • In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk with the 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 your hands to flatten the ball slightly. 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.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.
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: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 68IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg