Delicious Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Spring has sprung, and we’re getting into the spirit with an Irish Soda Bread recipe perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. This recipe is simple, tasty, and festive, and bonus: it doesn’t require many special ingredients!
Though the bread isn’t complicated, it’s origins are unusual. Many of us may have heard that soda bread was first created in Ireland, but that’s not the whole truth. The Native Americans were actually the first to develop a leavening alternative to yeast; they used pearl ash as a natural form of soda. Soda bread in its current form was first made in Ireland in the 1830’s when modern baking soda (or bicarbonate of soda) was introduced as a baking product.
This recipe has a short ingredient list, but there are some substitutions that you can try to make it even easier. Don’t have buttermilk on hand? There are easy ways to create a buttermilk alternative using milk and vinegar or lemon juice. Caraway seeds are a traditional and essential touch, but if you can’t find them in the grocery store, they’re easy to source online (and they’re inexpensive, too.)
Soda bread is delicious for breakfast, and you can create a simple sweet twist to make it even more yummy for a Saturday morning brunch! Increase the sugar to 4 tablespoons and add currants instead of caraway seeds.
Who doesn’t love a bread recipe that doesn’t take time to rise?! It’s one of the best parts about quick breads (bread made with baking soda). Once you’ve baked your hot and delicious loaf of soda bread, it’s time to serve it up alongside some other traditional Irish dishes. There’s a great recipe on the blog for Irish Stew that would work well! Once you’ve made a St. Patricks’ Day feast, make sure to check out some of the other international recipes on the blog! Discovering food around the world is so much fun.
Makes – 1 (10-inch) loaf
Ingredients
- 4 cups All Purpose Flour + more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Caraway Seeds
- 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cubed into small pieces and chilled
- 1 large Egg, beaten
- 1½ cup cold Buttermilk
Instructions for Irish Soda Bread
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or generously grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
- In a large bowl combine the all-purpose, sugar, baking soda, salt and the caraway seeds. Mix well.
3. Add the cubes of chilled butter and with a fork or a pastry blender, mix it with the flour, till the flour looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
4. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg, followed by the buttermilk.
5. Mix it with a spatula until everything is combined into a sticky, shaggy dough.
6. Dump the shaggy dough into a well-floured counter top or work surface. With well-floured hand, pat the dough into a ball. DO NOT KNEAD THE DOUGH. Kneading and overworking the dough will make a dense and dry bread.
7. Using a serrated knife, score an X on the top of the dough.
8. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet or cast-iron skillet.
9. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. The bread it done when it sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before finishing cooling on a wire rack.
11. Slice and serve plain or toasted with butter or jam or with hearty stews and soups.
12. Once cooled wrapped tightly in tinfoil, if not serving immediately.
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, add two tablespoon of white vinegar in a measuring cup. Add milk till it reaches the 1½ cup mark. Let it stand for 10 minutes and then whisk it well. Use it in place of buttermilk.
- Make sure all the ingredients are cold, especially the butter and buttermilk. Cold butter and buttermilk will result in soft moist crumbs.
- Soda bread can dry out really fast, so store the leftovers, tightly wrapped in tinfoil at room temperate. Use in 2 to 3 days. It is not a great make ahead recipe.
I do love fresh bread in the house. I will have to make this at some point. Yum!
Oh lawd!! I can smell freshly baking bread right now. I will have to send this recipe to my son who loves to make bread.
It sounds like tasty bread. I will have to try making it!
This looks so good. I’ve made Irish soda bread many times, but I’ve never made it with caraway seeds before.
This is a bread that I need to make. I will make it to go with the corn beef.
This is a recipe I and my family will cherish for years. Thank you for sharing it.
I think that the cold buttermilk and unsalted butter are the secrets to its delicious success! I cannot wait to share this with friends
We love bread in our family and this one looks so delicious.
I can’t wait to make this for everyone!
That looks absolutely delicious and tasty! I would really love to try this recipe!
This bread looks so good. I have been wanting to get back in to making bread again. I’ll be saving this to make later.
This Irish Soda bread recipe sounds so good. Your photos make it look so delicious. I will hold onto your recipe so I can make it for St. Patrick’s Day this year.
I haven’t done much bread baking, but this recipe looks easy for me to complete. I’m excited to give Irish Soda Bread a try!
I have never had Irish Soda bread before! I am curious as to what it tastes like. I would love to try making it, as I doubt the bread at the grocery store is fresh.
Looks delicious! I love making bread. If I buy caraway seeds online and only need a little for this recipe, do you have other recipes I can use it for?
This looks so delicious. Bread is my passion. I love baking every type of bread and I’m sure this recipe is going to be a hit with my family. Perfect timing too for company coming.
Wow, I love your bread recipe. I cannot wait to try this my own
Sounds like a delicious version. We’ve made this in the past to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and loved it.
Oh my! This is such a really amazing recipe! It look so good! I know my family would love this so much!
That looks absolutely delicious and tasty! I would really love to try this recipe!
The perfect crust on this bread alone is enough to make me try it! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Looks delicious and perfect for St Patrick’s Day brunch! Thank you for sharing.
This sounds great. I’ve tried it before but never made my own.
I love a good Irish soda bread recipe. I make it year round, not just for Saint Patrick’s Day. I can’t wait to try yours.
I never tried making Irish Soda Bread at home. Looking forward to trying this recipe.
Wow, finally a nice recipe out of baking soda to try soon!
This is the best Irish soda bread around! Im so excited to make it.
This was my first time making an Irish Soda bread and I love how well it turned out.
Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread. I love baking bread. I must try this.
That looks so good! I’m a big fan of Irish soda bread. It’s one of my favorite breads to make. I can’t wait to try your recipe.
This bread looks so delicious! We have a breadmaker, do you think this would work in that?
I never tried making this at home, looking forward to trying this recipe.
Don’t let simplicity fool you. this recipe might look simple but it’s so delicious!
I love your version of this Irish soda bread. Ours include raisins. It’s also good to add some raisins in this.
It appears to me that everyone has their favorite Irish soda bread recipe. Some add raisins and some don’t. Either is delicious!
I have never had Irish soda bread before but this sure looks amazing! I need to give this recipe a try!
What a cool recipe to try this year 😍 It looks absolutely delicious ❤️👌🏻
You make it sound easier than I expected it to be. I think our local store has recently started stocking buttermilk so i should be able to get hold of all the ingredients.
I did not realize Irish Soda bread did not originally come from Ireland. But it is a great addition to a St. Patrick’s Day meal.
I’ve never tasted a bread like this. It’s interesting and looks so good! I’ll give it a try.