Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (2024)

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A recipe for a simple and traditional real Irish Soda Bread. This easy recipe is especially great for beginner cooks or anyone who wants an easy and simple homemade bread. It’s quick to make too.

Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (1)

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Table of contents

  1. What is Traditional Irish Soda Bread?
  2. How is Irish Soda Bread Served?
  3. More Irish Recipes
  4. Tips for Keeping Bread Fresh
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (2)
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (3)

There once was a little green man

Who was stopped whilst in Ireland

“Wrong man you have got,

pot of gold I have not,

not leprechaun but Yoda I am!”

I couldn’t resist this Irish limerick I came across. The hospital I work for invited all of its employees to a special showing of Star Wars and the Force was still strong in this one.

I have no good segue for this post so I’m just going to start talking about Irish Soda Bread. Speaking of Irish Soda Bread…

When reading about traditional Irish recipes, I often come across simple and hearty fare, usually invented out of necessity. Often times it is the most simplest recipes that are the best. Every household in Ireland had their version of a simple soda bread, Colcannon, Champ,Boxty potato pancake recipe and Coddle.

In these recipes, whatever was on hand was used. Mutton and fish were common meats and most people could afford it. Sheep that were no longer needed for fleece were often harvested before the next Winter as it was expensive to feed animals through the cold season. The tough mutton was stewed for a long time in order to make it tender and Irish Stew was born.

Each recipe has few ingredients and substitutions were often made depending on whatever was on hand. Coddle is famous for this. Since Catholics were forbidden from eating meat on Fridays, Coddle was often made on Thursdays and the leftover meat was tossed in there. Toasting slices of this bread and drizzling on Welsh Rarebit would be amazing.

Today we are going to tackle traditional Irish Soda Bread. Authentic and traditional Irish Soda Bread has only four ingredients, wheat flour, salt, buttermilk and baking soda.

What is traditional Irish Soda Bread?

A simple, easy bread that uses bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) instead of yeast.

Irish Soda Bread may actually have originated in North America. Native Americans were already making bread using potash as a leavener in their bread. Potash is potassium carbonate, a precursor to the use ofsodium bicarbonate.

The first published recipe for soda bread hit print in 1796 in the cookbookAmerican Cookery. This was a means of making quick and cheap bread for everybody. Soda bread didn’t show up in Europe until the mid-1800’s, spreading pretty quickly as the 4 ingredients were readily available to most cultures.

Soft wheat is commonly used in Ireland. You can make this with cake or pastry flour. I made this with a mix of cake and all purpose flour also known as plain flour. The texture is a dense, flavorful bread. Slicing and toasting this really brings out the character in this rustic bread. It’s amazing smothered with butter, in case you needed to know that.

How is Irish Soda Bread served?

Soda bread is a rustic accompaniment to soups, stews, corn beef and cabbage, smoked salmon, bangers, eggs etc. So basically everything.

I like to eat it toasted and smothered in butter with a drizzle of honey or a bit of fruit preserves. Cranberry sauce would be pretty amazing also. This bread when toasted has a nice, hefty crunch.

I have not tried toasting it in a skillet yet but that is one of the things I want to try. What is your favorite way to serve or re-heat rustic bread? Let us know.

Good luck, may the luck of the Irish be with you!

More Irish Recipes

  1. Traditional Irish Boxty
  2. Authentic Irish Stew
  3. Colcannon
  4. Champ
  5. Coddle
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (4)
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (5)
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (6)
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (7)
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (8)
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (9)

Tips for keeping bread fresh

Bread can go stale faster in the refrigerator so I like to wrap it in plastic and keep on my counter for up to 2 days. It’s usually gone by the first day so not a big problem in my house. If you do find yourself with extra bread after 1 or 2 days, simply wrap tightly in plastic and keep in the freezer until ready to use. When you re-warm it, the bread will taste fresh again.

Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (10)
Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (11)

Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

A recipe for a simple and traditional real Irish Soda Bread. This easy recipe is especially great for beginner cooks or anyone who wants an easy and simple homemade bread. This recipe is quick too!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups (280g) of all purpose flour (plain flour) plus a little more for kneading and dusting
  • 1 3/4 cups (200g) of cake flour (low protein flour)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (350g)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F (191C)
  2. In a large bowl add first 3 ingredients. Stir or whisk until well blended.
  3. Pour buttermilk into dry ingredients and using your fingers or wooden spoon, gently mix ingredients until roughly mixed, pour out onto floured surface.
  4. Gently knead bread into a round dome shape and place on a piece of parchment paper that is on a baking sheet or cast iron skillet. Cut a deep cross in it (to let the fairies out), sprinkle the top with flour.
  5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until gold brown in the middle of the oven. It is done when you tap the bottom of the loaf you have a hollow sound instead of a flat sound.

Notes

  • Weighing your flour is the most accurate method since flour will settle which makes measuring flour with measuring cups inaccurate. If you don't have a scale, sift the flour first, then use measure cups. Don't use the measuring cups that are designed for liquid (it has a pour spout), use the scoop measuring cups instead for flour. This will make your measurement more accurate with dry ingredients.
  • If the dough is not coming together in a cohesive mound, try adding more buttermilk. This is a messy dough that is lightly kneaded and put in the pre-heated oven right away.
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 169Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 626mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g

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Easy & Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when Irish soda bread is done baking? ›

Use a sharp knife to score the top of the dough into an "X" shape about an inch deep. This is to help heat get into the dough as it bakes. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. To check if the bread is done, when you tap the bottom of the bread it should sound hollow.

Should Irish soda bread dough be sticky? ›

Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-work the dough the bread will end up tough.

How do you make Irish soda bread less dense? ›

If you feel like you have to knead the dough together, don't knead more than 5-6 times, max. Too much kneading will create a hard dense crumb on the bread. Rule of thumb with no yeast breads, the less kneading the softer the crumb.

Why do you put a cross in Irish soda bread? ›

The Southern Irish regions bake their loaves in a classic round fashion and cut a cross on top of the bread. This was done for superstitious reasons, as families believed a cross on top of the bread would let the fairies out or ward off evil and protect the household.

What's the difference between Irish bread and Irish soda bread? ›

Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like while Irish brown bread is more savory with a tender interior.

What went wrong with my soda bread? ›

If you've ever tried Irish soda bread and not liked it, don't go running off yet! Chances are good that the bread you ate suffered from one of three common problems: improper amount of baking soda (a gross, salty-bitter taste), over cooking (a dry, chalky texture), or undercooking (a soggy, doughy center).

Why is my Irish soda bread raw in the middle? ›

Your oven is too hot if it is uncooked in the center. Try lowering the temp on your oven by 25F and extending the bake time. Don't put anything on the top of the bread to aid in browning until the last few min. of cooking, and use an instant read thermometer (target temp to pull is 190F).

Can you over knead Irish soda bread? ›

Why is my soda bread tough? Over-mixing or over-kneading the dough can make it tough. The less you handle it, the softer the bread will be.

Why is my soda bread gummy? ›

What would make soda bread chewy or gummy? Too much liquid added, or it hasn't been baked enough. It should go on the top shelf of the oven and it should be baked for at least 30-35 minutes.

Why did my Irish soda bread fall apart? ›

Make sure you are using the correct amount of baking soda in the recipe. Too much or too little can result in a crumbly loaf. It's also possible that your oven wasn't hot enough when you baked the bread. Make sure to preheat your oven before baking Irish soda bread and don't open it frequently during the baking time.

Can you leave soda bread dough overnight? ›

You don't have to wait hours or overnight for a rise, either. In fact, you don't even need to wait at all: Dough for Irish soda bread can go right into the oven after making.

What is good to put on Irish soda bread? ›

This versatile bread works for any meal, but Irish soda bread is a natural for breakfast, whether simply spread with (Irish) butter and jam or alongside that hearty fry-up known as a full Irish breakfast. It's also wonderful with a cup of tea in the afternoon or as a late-night snack.

What happens if you put too much baking soda in soda bread? ›

Bitter Taste: Excessive baking soda can leave a bitter taste in the bread. Baking soda is alkaline, and an excessive amount of it can result in an unpleasant flavor. Unpleasant Texture: Too much baking soda can lead to a coarse and crumbly texture in the bread.

Should you toast Irish soda bread? ›

Although soda bread is ideal for serving at room temperature, it is better to serve it warm. The thick and cakey texture of the bread and warm temperature brings out its hearty flavors. If you can't have it fresh from the over at least have it toasted.

What's the difference between sourdough bread and Irish soda bread? ›

The main difference between sourdough bread and soda bread is in its leavening agent – sourdough bread rises due to the gasses released from yeast and bacteria fermentation, while soda bread rises from the gasses produced during the chemical interaction between baking soda and acids in the dough.

What does traditional Irish soda bread taste like? ›

Irish soda bread is a dense and tender quick bread with a subtle tangy buttermilk flavor.

How do you eat traditional Irish soda bread? ›

The slices are delicious simply spread with butter, jam, or marmalade. This bread can be toasted, too. Soda bread can be paired with any meal of the day. You can even bake it without the raisins to make a loaf to serve with savory dishes like soup, meat dishes, or to use for sandwiches.

What is the acid in Irish soda bread? ›

The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added, such as butter, egg, raisins, or nuts, but these ingredients are not as traditional.

References

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