Irish Soda Bread
Irish Soda Bread has a golden crisp crust and a soft interior. No yeast, no kneading – so easy! You’ll love how fast this yummy quick bread comes together.
A CRUSTY BREAD RECIPE
You’ll love this classic Irish Soda Bread recipe! I got this recipe from a cookbook I bought about 30 years ago when visiting Ireland. I was in my early 20’s and wasn’t much into cooking then so didn’t do much with it. I recently found it hiding in some old trunks and started flipping through it and figured I would test this recipe out (and convert the measurements to American imperial measurements). It was so good, I’ve made it weekly since then – ha! My favorite thing about quick breads like this is they really can be whipped up so quickly without a lot of fuss. Since it doesn’t have yeast in it, this Irish Soda Bread is more of a dense, crumbly bread rather than an airy, fluffy loaf – perfect to serve with soup or as a snack with some delicious Kerrygold butter slathered on top – yum!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Soda bread is a quick bread originating from Ireland. The dough does not use yeast and requires no time to proof or rise. It only gets its rise from the reaction between the alkaline of the soda and the acid of the buttermilk. The reaction creates carbon dioxide, which gives the loaf its rise and texture.
Irish Soda Bread is a versatile loaf that can be served with any meal. I like to serve it with a big, hefty slather of Kerrigold Butter. You could try some jam for breakfast, or some cheese slices. Soda Bread is also great with a hearty stew, like Beef Stew or Minestrone Soup.
Soda Bread often has various ingredients mixed in. This recipe is the plain and simple version, but can be easily jazzed up. You can add a cup of raisins to the dough for a breakfast style loaf. Try adding a cup of shredded cheese for a savory loaf; cheddar, gruyere, or parmesan could all be used to make a loaf that would be really great for dipping in stews and soups.
Make sure the oven is hot, preheat oven 20 minutes before baking, and stir up bread right before going into the oven. Do not allow the dough to set long unbaked. If your cast iron skillet is not well seasoned, line with parchment paper, to prevent sticking.
Nope, not a big deal if you don’t have a cast iron skillet or don’t want to use it. The bread can be baked on a parchment-lined or well greased baking sheet if preferred.
I think the key to getting the correct loaf texture thath you expect and associate with Irish Soda Bread is to NOT overwork the dough. The more you work the dough, the less likely you are to get that nice crusty exterior. If you overwork the dough, your dough will turn smooth and you don’t really want that, you want that rough texture that will bring the cracks in the crust and the crumbs on the interior.
Soda Bread can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- all-purpose flour
- cake flour– I thought this was an interesting ingredient in this recipe. So after a bit of research, I see now why they used it here. Cake flour makes the bread slightly lighter for a softer crumb and it keeps this bread from being super dense. The cake flour can be omitted if preferred by substituting a scant cup of all-purpose flour.
- granulated sugar– Sugar adds a hint of sweetness and helps with browning.
- baking soda– Both baking soda and cream of tartar are used as leavening agents in the bread, to give the bread rise and a light texture.
- cream of tartar
- salt– Salt brings out the flavor in the bread.
- unsalted butter– softened to room temperature and you’ll need some melted for topping the bread with. Butter adds a little fat to the bread for a moist crumb. If using salted butter, reduce the salt amount by ¼ teaspoon.
- buttermilk– Buttermilk gives the soda bread flavor and reacts with the soda and cream of tartar to give the bread rise. It also helps keep the loaf moist. Do not omit the buttermilk, the soda will not react with regular milk, resulting in a dense unrisen loaf. Whole or low-fat butter milk can be used if needed, or you can make your own Homemade Buttermilk recipe.
HOW TO MAKE IRISH SODA BREAD
Preheat oven to 400F degrees, place rack on the lowest level. In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients; all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
Add the softened butter, using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk, stirring until just combined and no streaks of flour remain, if dough is dry, not coming together, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, form the dough into a rough 6-inch round mound, careful not to overwork the dough.
Transfer the dough to the cast iron skillet. Using a serrated knife, score the top of the dough with a cross shape, cutting about ¾ to 1 inch deep. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until dark golden brown.
Remove pan from the oven and brush with melted butter. Transfer the loaf to a rack to cool for 30-45 minutes, slice and serve.
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Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
FOR THE BREAD:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (can use salted, see below)
- 1 ¾ cup buttermilk
FOR TOPPING:
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees, place rack on the lowest level.
- In a bowl whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup cake flour, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar and 1 ½ teaspoon salt.
- Add 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add 1 ¾ cup buttermilk just until combined and no streaks of flour remain, if dough is dry, or not fully coming together, add an additional 1-2 Tablespoons of buttermilk.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, form the dough into a rough 6-inch round mound, careful not to overwork the dough. Transfer the dough to the cast iron skillet. Using a serrated knife, score the top of the dough with a cross shape, cutting about ¾ to 1 inch deep.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until dark golden brown. Remove pan from the oven and brush with 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted. Transfer the loaf to a rack to cool for 30-45 minutes, slice and serve.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can use salted butter, just cut back the additional added salt by 1/2 teaspoon.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Made this today! It was outstanding! I made it with some beef stew & it was the perfect accompaniment. My husband gave it a huge thumbs up! Better than the old recipe that I was using 🙂
Hi Brandie! It’s been a minute since I have randomly commented on one of your recipes, lol, but I saw this one and I thought about my great grandmother who immigrated here from Ireland. She had her recipe and a photo of her posted in our local paper back in the 70’s. Of course, the paper screwed up the recipe, but she used to say that Soda Bread was a recipe made out of necessity because of the potato famine and that she never understood why Americans loved it. Americans also started adding caraway seeds and raisins to it. I was not a fan of the seeds and raisins so she would make me a loaf without them. I miss her smile and the smell of soda bread baking in her house.
I am sure that your recipe is fantastic, but I make hers when I make it. 🙂