Traditional Irish Soda Bread is one of the easiest breads I've ever made. In fact, I'm still in shock that it contains very few ingredients. However, that's all part of the bread's history. Regardless of the small list of items you'll need for this bread, it's a must for any Irish dinner. Cleaning your plate of Shepard's Pie, Irish Stew, or Bangers and Mash won't be an issue when you have this recipe in your back pocket!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Irish soda bread is one of the easiest breads to make. In addition to its traditional pairings of Irish Cuisine, it makes a great toast with jams, jellies, and preserves like this Hatch Chile Strawberry Rhubarb Preserve. However you see fit, I trust it'll accompany any dish very nicely. Plus, it looks beautiful on the dining room table.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients: You'll need Flour, Baking Soda, Kosher Salt, and Sugar.
Wet Ingredients: Buttermilk and Butter. Can you believe it? Thats it!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
Although buttermilk can be used in many recipes, most people don't keep a carton handy in the fridge. So, to buy it just for a loaf of bread may not make much sense.
If you fall into the 'no buttermilk' category, don't worry. I've got you covered.
Just substitute it with an equal amount of whole milk.
Now, if you don't have whole milk and prefer low-fat or skim, that's fine, too. In this case, add 1 ½ Tablespoons of lemon juice to a measuring cup and pour in the milk until it reaches 1 ¾ Cups. This will provide the acidity that you'll be missing from the buttermilk.
Step-by-Step Instructions
There are two ways to make the dough for your Traditional Irish Soda Bread. You can form the ball by hand or use a stand mixer if you have one.
In the video for this recipe, I did it by hand despite having a KitchenAid. It's still very simple, but it did get a bit sticky. I recommend going the stand mixer route or keeping your hands wet when forming your dough ball.
Step 1: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together all the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Pour in the buttermilk and mix by hand or a dough hook until a ball has formed.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 450°f and butter the bottom of a 10"-12" Cast Iron skillet.
Step 4: Once the oven is fully heated, add the dough ball to the Cast Iron Skillet. Then, using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross-shaped slit into the top of the dough.
Now, place the skillet in the oven and bake for 1 minute, then turn the heat down to 400 and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Remove the bread from the skillet and place it on a cooling rack until ready to serve. You'll know that the loaf is done by tapping on the bottom. If the bread sounds hollow, you're good to go!
Expert Tips
- I recommend using regular All Purpose Flour for this recipe. I've never used bread flour for soda bread, but I feel like the protein level would be too high for the desired texture.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, hand-knead the dough to a firm ball.
- If you don't have any buttermilk and are in a pinch, you can also use whole milk. However, I strongly suggest using buttermilk.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional Irish soda bread ingredients consist of flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and buttermilk.
Irish soda bread uses baking soda and buttermilk as a leavening agent instead of yeast.
There is no rising time because Irish soda bread doesn't use yeast. This makes the process much quicker and easier, especially for new bakers.
No. In fact, traditional Irish soda bread doesn't contain raisins at all. Once you add raisins to the mix, you make a loaf of Spotted Dog.
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📖 Recipe
Traditional Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 ¾ Cups Buttermilk
- Butter for Cast Iron
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer creating a well in the center.
- Pour the Buttermilk into the center of the dry mix.
- Either by hand or using the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer, mix the wet and dry ingredients together kneading until a ball forms.
- Preheat the oven to 450°f and then butter the bottom of a Cast Iron Skillet.
- Place the dough in the center of the skillet and cut a deep cross shaped slit in the center of the loaf.
- Bake for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 400 and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Transfer the Soda Bread to a cooling rack until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- I recommend using regular All Purpose Flour for this recipe. I've never used bread flour for soda bread, but I feel like the protein level would be too high for the desired texture.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, hand-knead the dough to a firm ball.
- If you don't have any buttermilk and are in a pinch, you can also use whole milk. However, I strongly suggest using buttermilk.
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