Irish Soda Bread Recipe

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There is nothing better than a loaf of Irish Soda Bread fresh out of the oven. It’s a quick bread raised with baking soda and baked to golden brown perfection. It’s slightly sweet because of the raisins and truly delicious fresh out of the oven with lots of butter! Complete your St. Patrick’s Day by making this Irish Soda bread with my Irish Beef Stew or Reuben Sandwiches!

What is Irish Soda Bread?

Irish Soda Bread is a type of bread that is leavened by baking soda instead of traditional yeast (hence the ‘soda’ in the name). Originally soda bread popped up in North America and was made by Native Americans however, it is part of deep Irish traditions surrounding St. Patrick’s day too!

The Irish made their version when they didn’t have access to better ingredients for a yeast bread. Traditional Irish Soda Bread was created because of a people’s hardship, but I am grateful because without them, we wouldn’t have THIS delicious recipe. Okay, let’s move on from this lesson on the history of Irish Soda Bread and get into making this bread! 😉

The Secret for the Best Irish Soda Bread

The secret for the best Irish Soda Bread is the buttermilk. It is essential to the bread’s flavor, texture and rise by adding fats, moisture, and by reacting with the baking soda for an optimal rise. Seriously, if you don’t have buttermilk, go out and buy some.

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tips and tricks to remember or to refer back to when making Irish Soda Bread.

• Don’t Overwork: overworking your dough could lead to it not rising correctly or being too tough. Since this is a quick rise soda bread, you don’t need to knead it like yeasted doughs. It’s meant to be soft and crumbly.
• Score the Top: scoring the top of the dough ball with an X is not only tradition but it also has a purpose. The X on top helps the middle of the bread cook evenly with the rest of the outside.
• Baking Pan: you can bake this bread in a variety of different baking containers. Whether that be a regular baking sheet, a baking pan cast-iron skillet or dutch oven. I just opted for a plain old cookie sheet, but anything will do!

Ingredients Needed for Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread uses very basic ingredients that you likely have in your pantry already…ok, maybe not the buttermilk. Here is everything you’ll need:

• all-purpose flour– white flour or whole wheat flour, or a mixture of the two would be fine.
• granulated sugar– gives a slightly sweet flavor
• baking soda– our leavening agent
• salt– balances out the flavors
• cold butter– I used unsalted butter
• large egg– binds and gives structure to the bread dough
• buttermilk– real buttermilk is best, but you can create your own buttermilk by mixing milk and white vinegar or lemon juice together. See my note on that below.
• raisins– optional

What If I Don’t Have Buttermilk?

This recipe calls for 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk but if you’re using this substitution trick, use 1 1/2 cups milk and stir with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to sour before using. (I use 1/4 cup less milk because it’s not as thick as buttermilk.) If you don’t have white vinegar, lemon juice and cream of tarter also work as great buttermilk substitutions.

How to Make Irish Soda Bread

Follow these easy steps to make the best Irish Soda Bread. For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, check out the printable recipe card below.

1. Preheat Oven + Prep Baking Sheet

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Combine Dry Ingredients + Butter

In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Work the cold butter into the dry flour mixture using a pastry cutter until butter is the size of small peas.

3. Add in Egg, Buttermilk + Raisins

Beat egg into the buttermilk. Incorporate into until the dry ingredients until just combined. Dough will be very wet! Stir in raisins.

4. Work Dough Into a Round Loaf

On a clean, lightly floured surface, dump the bread dough into the center. Sprinkle with more flour and work it into a round loaf. Transfer to the baking sheet or whatever pan you’re choosing to bake on. Score an “X” over top of the loaf using a very sharp knife.

5. Bake + Cool

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until you have a browned and golden crust. Cool 10-15 minutes before slicing with a sharp serrated knife and serving.

How to Serve Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread can be served with either savory or sweet spreads. Butter is always a delicious classic that compliments any flavor combo you are going for. This bread can also be served alongside soups and stews for a comforting and filling meal.

Irish Soda Bread Storing + Freezing Directions

If you plan to eat your bread within the next few days, place bread in an airtight container, bag or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Bread should stay fresh for 2-3 days stored this way.

To Freeze- After the loaf has baked and cooled completely, Irish Soda Bread can be frozen and stay fresh for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap tightly and store in a freezer-safe container.

Defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as desired (warm it up or toast it).

More Bread Recipes to Try!

• EASY Homemade Bread Recipe
• Hasselback Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe
• Homemade Potato Rolls
• The BEST Cornbread Recipe
• Homemade Dinner Rolls
• Homemade Crescent Rolls
• Be sure to check out my other bread recipes while you’re at it.

I hope you love this Irish soda bread recipe as much as I do. It’s a quick bread recipe and I always have the ingredients on hand. I love eating this bread with a hearty soup. It just hits the spot! The printable recipe card is below, enjoy!

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.