Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Look no further. The best Irish soda bread recipe is yours for the taking! Make sure to break out the fresh Irish butter!
With only 5 ingredients needed, this Irish soda bread recipe is very easy to make. It turns out extremely moist, subtlly sweet, and tastes amazing fresh out of the oven with a little spread of butter.
Whether you're Irish or not, this recipe may just find its way into your kitchen as a traditional staple. While traditionally, Irish soda bread omits raisins or currants, we made ours with raisins for a little added sweetness. Because of that, this bread is easy to eat as a light snack on the go or even a dessert with a nice cup of coffee or tea.
We recommend serving yours with Irish butter for the full experience, however, jam is also a nice alternative if you'd like to sweeten it up even more. Enjoy this dish anytime of year, especially to mark our favorite Irish holiday - St. Paddy's!
What is Irish soda bread?
You may have heard that Irish soda bread is popular around St. Patrick's Day, but you may not know how it's made or that it has a rich tradition in Ireland. Irish soda bread, as its name suggests, is made using baking soda as leavening instead of yeast. This makes the bread quick to make, and it contributes to its characteristic light-but-dense texture. The other secret ingredient is buttermilk. The baking soda and buttermilk react during baking, creating small bubbles that make the bread rise. Of course, the buttermilk also contributes to the bread's signature flavor.
Irish soda bread recipes are often passed down from generation to generation, and the recipes can be unique to the family! Common add-ins for Irish soda bread are raisins (which we've used here), caraway seeds, and honey. As we mention above, one of the best ways to eat Irish soda bread is to tear off a piece and slather it with butter. But you also won't be disappointed to use a piece of homemade bread to sop up a bowl of Guinness chili or corned beef and cabbage.
Yields1 loaf
Preparation Time15 min
Cooking Time - Text35-45 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk plus ¼ cup additional if needed
- 1 cup raisins or currants
Directions
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Heat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
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Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and gently pour in the buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon start to mix the ingredients to combine. Using floured hands, gently continue to mix until the dough comes together. Add the additional buttermilk if needed to hold the dough together, the dough should be soft. Mix in the raisins.
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Gather the dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead the dough a few times. Shape into a 6 inch ball about 2 inches tall.
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Place on the baking sheet. Using a very sharp knife cut an X on the top of the dough ball but not too deep.
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Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temp to 400 and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the crust is golden. The internal temperature should register 180 degrees.
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Let the bread cool slightly before cutting. Serve with butter and jam.