Irish Soda Bread: A Classic and Comforting Quick Bread Recipe

Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that is very easy to make because it uses no yeast. Buttermilk and baking soda give this bread its rise and a delicious flavor. Classic Irish Soda Bread is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or any day of the year!

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Irish Soda Bread: Simple, delectable, and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day festivities! But why limit it to just one occasion? This timeless recipe deserves to be enjoyed year-round. Let’s indulge in the pleasure of making this classic bread!

What Is Irish Soda Bread

Traditional Irish Soda Bread is not a yeast bread but a quick bread that is made with buttermilk and baking soda. This bread does not usually use eggs, and it gets sweetness from a little sugar.

It’s not like what we would think of as regular bread. There is no yeast, kneading, or resting. It’s called quick bread because it uses other leavenings that don’t need time to develop. Irish Soda Bread is usually made into a boule (ball). A deeply cut cross in the top of the loaf, gives this quick bread it’s signature look.

Even if you are not a baker, you can whip up this easy-to-make Irish Soda Bread recipe. It’s impressive and delicious and full of the luck of the Irish.

What Does Irish Soda Bread Taste Like

Irish soda bread boasts a unique flavor profile characterized by its slightly tangy taste and subtle sweetness. The combination of buttermilk and baking soda lends a gentle acidity to the bread, while the addition of raisins or currants offers bursts of fruity sweetness. Overall, Irish soda bread delivers a comforting and hearty flavor that pairs perfectly with a spread of butter or a drizzle of honey.

What Is The Texture Like

Irish Soda Bread is renowned for its delightful texture that marries the best of both worlds: a crisp, golden crust and a soft, tender crumb. The exterior of the loaf is crusty and rustic, offering a satisfying crunch with each bite. Inside, the bread is moist and slightly dense, with a wonderfully hearty yet delicate texture.

The use of baking soda as a leavening agent creates air pockets within the dough, resulting in a light and airy interior. With its irresistible combination of crustiness and softness, Irish Soda Bread’s pleasing texture is sure to please with every bite.

A Tribute To My Irish Roots

A couple of years ago, I took an Ancestry DNA test. And to my surprise and delight, I found out that I am Irish! All three percent of me! The surname Lynch is peppered through one line of my ancestors from Ireland! So, to honor my Irish roots, we will celebrate with this iconic Irish bread!

History Of Irish Soda Bread

I love to see how recipes were invented or became part of a culture. Really, it’s just fascinating. Necessity is the mother of invention in the case of this yummy bread. Two events that really had nothing to do with each other collided, and Irish Soda Bread was born.

In 1840 Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) became readily available and in 1845-49 the Irish suffered the Great Potato Famine. Famine and poverty became a way of life for many Irish people, so they used the most inexpensive ingredients that were available and made soda bread.

Originally, sour milk was used to make Irish Soda Bread. Later in the post, I’ll show you how to make sour milk by adding vinegar or lemon juice. Buttermilk, the byproduct of butter making, soon made its way into the Soda Bread recipe.

This simple and tasty recipe has spanned centuries and continents and is a very popular bread in the United States. So every time you and I make Irish Soda Bread it’s good to remember that we are making a tasty bit of history!

Buttermilk Is The Secret Ingredient

There is no yeast in Soda Bread. Instead, the lactic acid in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda and leavens the bread or makes it rise! It’s a delicious chemical reaction!

Buttermilk also gives this bread a distinct flavor. It’s delicious!

So, what is buttermilk? The quick answer is buttermilk is fermented milk. It is the liquid leftover from making butter.

In my grandmother’s day, this liquid was left out overnight and would begin to ferment making buttermilk! My Nani said she and her siblings would fight over who would get the leftover buttermilk. And that must have been quite a fight since she was one of eleven!

What Can I Substitute For Buttermilk

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make a great substitute for it.

Use one TBSP of white vinegar or lemon juice and add enough milk to make one cup. Stir it together and let it sit for 5 minutes, and it is ready to use!

Does This Recipe Have Egg In It

Some soda bread recipes calls for an egg and some do not. This recipe does not. Feel free to add an egg if you want. It adds a little richness but makes a denser loaf. Why not experiment. Make Irish soda bread with and without an egg, and see what loaf you like best.

Why Make The Iconic Cross On The Top Of The Dough

The cross in this round bread is iconic. Besides making this bread easily identifiable, the cross also serves an important two-fold purpose.

First, it helps the oven heat get to the center of the bread promoting even baking, and it lets the steam out of the bread in a controlled way so it does not burst out of the bread breaking it open.

Cut the cross into the formed dough with a sharp knife.

How To Make Irish Soda Bread- Step-By-Step

The full printable recipes is below.

Irish soda bread is very straightforward and very easy to make! But to guarantee your bread comes out the best it can, here is an overview of the recipe and best tips.

Flour And Butter

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

Then, get the rest of the ingredients together. Cut cold unsalted butter into half-inch cubes and add them to the flour mixture.

Work the butter into the flour mixture until it is pea-sized.

I like to use my grandmother’s pastry cutter. But if you have cool hands, you can use your hands. Or cut them with knives.

Nani’s pastry cutter was once painted red, but after decades of use, the paint had worn off. Every time I use it I think of my grandmother’s lovely well-worn hands I loved so much!

Adding Extra Ingredients To Your Bread

If desired, add the raisins, currant, or any other ingredients like orange zest (YUM) to the flour and butter mixture. Caraway seeds are also a traditional ingredient in Irish Soda Bread.

Here are more add-ins to try:

• bacon
• chopped green onions
• cheddar cheese
• chocolate chips
• herbs like rosemary and dill
• dried fruit like cherries and apricots
• caraway seeds

Raisins And Currants

I made my Irish Soda Bread with dried currants. Growing up in Scotland and England, I became very fond of these little ruby gems. They are similar to raisins but are sweeter, smaller, and a little tangy.

When I put raisins in bread, I like to use golden raisins. My Nani used them so I do too! Regular dark raisins and golden raisins are made from the same grape. Dark raisins are sun-dried, and golden raisins are dried mechanically.

Because I am not very fond of dark raisins I like to use golden ones, they are a bit milder. In the image above, you can see dark raisins, golden raisins, and currants.

Making The Shaggy Dough

Make a well in the ingredients and add the buttermilk. Use a fork to mix everything together to make a dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently kneed the dough into a ball.

Flatten the dough a little into a 6-7-inch circle.

Don’t overwork the dough. The less you knead it the softer the bread will be. It’s okay if it is a little shaggy.

Parchment Paper

If you bake, parchment paper is a must! I like to bake bread on parchment because the bread comes out of a pan without burning my fingers! One tip that really makes a difference is to crumple up the parchment paper and then straighten it out before you use it so it fits into any pan!

Baking Irish Soda Bread

This wonderful, tasty bread can be baked in a cast iron skillet, which is the usual way to bake it. Or it can be made on a sheet pan or a Dutch oven. Our cast iron pan is in our RV so I used an enamel pot, which works great too, to bake the bread.

Bake the bread until the crust is golden brown.

One way to tell if bread is done is to turn it over and gently tap on the bottom of it. It should have a wonderful hollow sound! Oh, this is a marvelous sound! It’s the sound of bread success!

Other Tips For Making Soda Bread

After the bread comes out of the oven, put it on a wire rack to cool.

It’s almost impossible for me not to eat this bread, warm slathered with butter. Try to let it cool a bit and then using a serrated knife I cut off a thick slice!

If you want to eat it the next day, toast it. It makes the most delicious toast. And try it with Kerrygold Irish butter!

How To Store Irish Soda Bread

You can store the bread at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, or in a plastic bag for 2-3 days. Or refrigerated for up to a week. Irish Soda Bread freezes well wrapped in plastic wrap and then in foil for up to 3 months.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Irish Soda Bread is easy to make and so delicious. I hope you will give it a try!