Irish Soda Bread
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This Irish Soda Bread recipe uses only 4 ingredients to make a dense and soft bread with absolutely no rising time! Have a delicious, homemade bread ready to eat in just 40 minutes.
In the mood to bake? Try out my 1-Hour Buttermilk Dinner Rolls, Super Moist Cornbread, Easy Buttermilk Biscuits, or Carrot Cake Muffins!
Why This Recipe Works
Super Easy: One of the main reasons why I love making Irish soda bread is because it is so easy to make! This is a quick bread that is made without yeast, which means it doesn’t need time to rise prior to baking. Baking soda will do all the work to help the loaf rise in the oven. If you have never made homemade bread, my easy Irish soda bread recipe is a great place to start!
Delicious: This traditional Irish soda bread is freaking delicious! It has a similar texture to a biscuit, but with a crispier crust on the outside. The result is a crunchy crust with a tender, dense, and soft inside. The best way to enjoy soda bread is warm with a generous spread of butter on top!
Ingredients
Irish soda bread can be made with only 4 ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour: I used regular, all purpose flour here. Have a little bit extra for dusting!
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is needed to help the bread rise in the oven! Since this quick bread doesn’t include yeast, it is very important to include baking soda.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk offers a tangy and delicious flavor here. It will react with the baking soda to give the bread a good rise!
Here’s How to Make It
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with a piece of baking parchment dusted very generously with flour. (not pictured)
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda. (photo 1)
- Add Buttermilk: Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk. Using a fork, bring the mixture together in a shaggy dough. Add a little milk if the mixture won’t come together completely. This might happen if your buttermilk has a higher than average fat content. (photos 2-4)
- Form into a Ball: Stir in dried fruit if using. Shape the dough into a ball (the best you can), and place it in the middle of the prepared baking sheet. Smooth the soda bread dough to create a uniform loaf and using a sharp knife, cut a cross in the top of the loaf. (photos 5-7)
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes. The bread should be golden and sound hollow if you pick it up and tap on the bottom. If you don’t think it is cooked through, return it to the oven and check it every 5 minutes. (photo 8)
Expert Tips
- Many soda bread recipes add a fruit like dried raisins or currants. You can definitely add some dried fruit to the dough if you want a slightly sweet dough!
- Avoid over working the dough! It is going to be a shaggy dough that looks like it might need more mixing, but do your best to avoid over working the dough here. It can result in a tough bread!
- Don’t forget to cut the cross into the top! Traditionally, Irish soda bread has a cross on top for religious purposes, but the cross is actually important for the bread to rise and cook through the middle!
- Don’t substitute the buttermilk! You need real buttermilk in this recipe to react with the baking soda and help the bread to rise. Since there are so few ingredients in this Irish soda bread recipe, I would avoid any substitutions for the best results.
- Irish soda bread is best when it is still warm and smothered in butter!
Frequently Asked Questions
The name “soda bread” comes from the essential ingredient, baking soda. Baking soda is what allows the bread to have some rise in the oven, since this is a quick, yeast-free bread!
Store any leftover bread at room temperature in an airtight container or some foil for up to 2-3 days. You can also refrigerate it for up to 1 week. To reheat, pop a slice into the toaster or a microwave! Freeze the bread for up to 3 months if preferred!
More Bread Recipes to Try
- Easy Focaccia Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Chicken Florentine Flatbread
- Sweet Potato Bread
- Best Banana Bread
- Grilled Garlic Bread
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo of your CDLC creation – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- 1 cup dried cranberries or currants, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with a piece of baking parchment dusted very generously with flour.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda.
- Make a well in the middle and pour in the buttermilk. Using a fork, bring the mixture together into a shaggy dough. Add a little milk if the mixture won't come completely together; this might happen if your buttermilk has a higher than average fat content. Stir in the dried cranberries or currants (if using).
- Shape the dough into a ball (the best you can), and place it in the middle of the prepared baking sheet. Smooth the dough to create a uniform loaf and using a sharp knife, cut a cross in the top of the loaf.
- Bake for 30 minutes. The bread should be golden and sound hollow if you pick it up and tap the bottom. If you don't think it is cooked through, return it to the oven and check it every 5 minutes.
Notes
- Many Irish soda bread recipes include wholemeal flour; you can substitute up to half the all purpose flour in this loaf with wholemeal, but as wholemeal flour absorbs more liquid you may need to add a splash of milk to help bring the mixture together.
- This bread will keep well for up to 48 hours in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You really just can’t beat a fluffy and delicious bread recipe that only requires four ingredients and no rising time, am I right? This one is really fun to whip up around St. Patrick’s Day and my kids devour it faster than I can say “bread’s ready!”.
WOW!, Calories: 1324 and Sodium: 2031 mg? Really??? Is this for the whole loaf or maybe, hopefully, a typo?
Can you bake and freeze these?
I haven’t tried that but I do think it’s possible!
OMG that melty cheese! Sometimes the simplest things are the best. Melted cheese, bacon and carbs…sounds like a winner to me!