Irish Soda Bread

This Irish Soda Bread is easy to make, crispy on the outside, and dense but still soft on the inside. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any time of year!

Have you ever had Irish Soda Bread? If you have, then you know how delicious it is. But, if you haven’t then you’re in for a real treat!

This bread is nice and crispy on the outside and the inside is dense but still soft. The taste of this bread is almost similar to a biscuit, so it’s perfect to serve for breakfast. Irish soda bread is also a quick bread so there’s no yeast required. Instead, you use baking soda to help the bread rise as it bakes in the oven which makes it incredibly easy to throw together.

In fact, the dough only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare and pop in the oven. You can also leave this bread plain or swap out the raisins for dried currants!

How To Make This Irish Soda Bread

To make this bread, you’ll start by whisking together your dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Then, you’ll cut in some cold cubed butter until you see small pea-sized crumbs.

At this point, you can leave the bread plain or you can add your favorite mix-ins. I like to use raisins because I usually have them on hand, but feel free to swap out the raisins for some dried currants instead.

Then, you’ll whisk together the wet ingredients: buttermilk and an egg. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can use my homemade buttermilk substitute. Keep in mind that regular buttermilk is thicker than the homemade version so you might not need quite as much if you make your own.

Once the wet ingredients are whisked together, you’ll pour them into the dry ingredients and gently stir until the dough starts to come together. The dough is a little sticky at first, but it will come together as you work it together.

Make sure to sprinkle a flat surface with flour, then turn the dough out on the floured surface. Add some flour to the top of the dough and your hands and carefully knead it together until it’s easy to work with. As I mentioned, the dough is sticky so don’t be afraid to add some more flour to it as you’re working it together.

Once you’ve formed the dough into a ball, place it on a baking sheet and cut an ‘X’ into the center. The ‘X’ will help the bread split evenly and create a prettier top as it bakes. You can also brush the top of the bread with some buttermilk before placing it in the oven to create a nice golden brown top on the bread, but this step isn’t required.

The bread will take anywhere from 45-60 minutes in the oven. You’ll know the bread is finished once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Once the bread has cooled for about 15-20 minutes you can serve it plain or spread some butter or jam on top and enjoy!

Baking Tips For Irish Soda Bread

• When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it from the container with the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.


• Once you’ve mixed the dough together it will be sticky. Make sure to flour your surface and add a little more flour as you’re working the dough together until it’s easy to form into a ball.


• You can leave out the raisins in this bread or swap them out for dried currants.

Print Recipe

Irish Soda Bread

This Irish Soda Bread is easy to make, crispy on the outside, and dense but still soft on the inside. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any time of year!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time1 hr 5 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: irish soda bread

Servings: 1 loaf

Author: Danielle

Ingredients

• 4 and 1/4 cups (535 grams) all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) cold unsalted butter cubed into smaller pieces
• 1 cup (160 grams) raisins or dried currants
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360 ml) buttermilk
• 1 large egg

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the cold cubed butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until you have small pea-sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins and set aside.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg until fully combined. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and gently stir the dough together until just combined. The dough will be a little sticky, this is okay.
• Turn the dough out on a floured surface, flour the top of the dough and your hands, then knead the dough together a few times adding more flour as needed until you can form it into a ball that's about 7-inches in diameter. 
• Cut an 'X' into the top of the bread and brush with a little extra buttermilk if desired. 
• Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 45-60 minutes or until the top of the bread is browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing into it.

Notes

Leftover bread may be wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Freezing instructions: Bread will freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Adapted from Food Network

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