Irish Soda Bread is the easiest bread you’ll make – no proofing or kneading required and the dough comes together in 5 minutes. Soda bread has a soft and tender crumb with a Biscuit-like texture.
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We love freshly baked bread, from Banana Bread to Homemade Focaccia and Cornbread. If you are a fan of easy bread recipes, this Irish Soda Bread is a must-try!
You’ll Love this Soda Bread!
I fell in love with Soda Bread the first time I tried it. Its lightly sweet crumb reminded me of our Paska Easter Bread and Hot Cross Buns, but it’s amazing how fast and easy it was to make a traditional Soda Bread.
What is Irish Soda Bread?
This Irish-American Soda Bread is traditionally baked for St. Patrick’s Day. It is a quick bread that uses Baking Soda (a.k.a. Sodium Bicarbonate) as the leavening to make it rise. Unlike traditional yeast bread, there is no proofing or rising time. Once the dough comes together, you score the top and bake right away.
Ingredients
We love adding raisins for the holidays, but the raisins are optional. If you want to make it without buttermilk, then kefir works just as well to activate the baking soda.
- Flour – all-purpose flour works best
- Sugar – 1/4 cup makes it a lightly sweet bread
- Salt – every good bread needs a fair amount
- Baking soda – leavening which makes the bread rise
- Butter – gives the bread a scone-like texture (use cold, unsalted)
- Buttermilk – activates the soda (use cold, low-fat)
- Egg – for a finer, richer crumb
- Raisins – optional and can be substituted for dried cranberries
Tips for the Best Soda Bread
- Do not over-mix – as with scones, the dough really just has to come together before baking.
- Sticky dough – the dough will feel sticky. Dust your work surface and hands with just enough flour to handle the dough.
- Cold ingredients – there’s no reason to bring ingredients to room temperature. Keep buttermilk, egg, and butter chilled.
- Generously grease the pan – buttering your cast-iron skillet before baking allows the bread to rise without sticking to the pan.
- Cool on a rack – Once out of the oven, transfer the soda bread to a rack to cool so it doesn’t steam and soften on the bottom.
How to Make Soda Bread
You’ll be amazed how fast and easy it is to form a loaf of this Irish-American Soda Bread.
- Prep – Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 10″ cast-iron pan with butter.
- Whisk dry ingredients – in a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Add butter and raisins – cut butter into dice then work it into the flour mixture with clean dry fingertips until crumbs form. Stir in raisins.
- Buttermilk – In a large measuring cup, beat together buttermilk and 1 egg and pour into dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until moistened and the dough starts to come together.
- Form the loaf – transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, dust hands with flour, and form dough into a round loaf. If too sticky to handle, dust with flour.
- Bake – transfer dough to the buttered pan and score the top with a deep “X”. Bake at 375˚F for 50-55 minutes.
How to know when Soda Bread is done baking? We bake for 50-55 minutes. When you tap the loaf it should sound hollow inside.
Common Questions:
You can omit the raisins, or even substitute them for dried cranberries or other bits of dried fruit like chopped apricots.
The buttermilk activates the baking soda, making the bread rise. You can substitute the buttermilk with a low fat plain Kefir.
It tastes similar to scones or biscuits but is very lightly sweet.
We love to serve soda bread is delicious served as a side with Irish butter and honey, or jam. It’s a lightly sweet bread so it pairs well with coffee or tea.
Scoring the top gives it extra surface area to brown and crisp.
Over-mixing or over-kneading the dough can make it tough. The less you handle it, the softer the bread will be.
Soda bread freezes really well. If you freeze it the day it’s baked (be sure it’s cooled to room temperature first), it will taste great thawed and toasted.
This Irish Soda Bread recipe is sure to become a holiday favorite for you. It’s so easy and you’ll impress everyone.
More St Patrick’s Day Recipes
If you love this Soda Bread, then you won’t want to miss these St. Patrick’s Day-inspired recipes.
- Green Smoothie Bowl – perfect for a St. Patty’s breakfast
- Zeppole – a special treat loved by all
- Spinach Artichoke Dip – your new favorite dip
- Guacamole Stuffed Deviled Eggs – you’ll love the green
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts – crispy with bacon
- Broccoli Apple Salad – with creamy dressing
Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup more for dusting
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, plus 1/2 Tbsp to grease pan
- 1 3/4 cups cold lowfat buttermilk or kefir
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375˚F. Generously grease a 10” cast-iron skillet with 1/2 Tbsp butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut butter into small pieces and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until crumbs form stir in the raisins, breaking up any clumps of raisins. Make a well in the center.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and egg then add this mixture into the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon and mix just until lightly moistened and dough barely starts to come together.
- Transfer to a floured surface and use floured hands to shape the dough just until it forms into a round loaf. It should be shaggy. If it’s too sticky to handle, dust lightly with flour. Do not over-mix or bread will be tough.
- Transfer to the buttered pan, use a knife to score the top with a large and deep “X”. Bake in the center of your preheated oven at 375 for 50-55min. When you tap on the bread, it should sound hollow inside. Transfer bread to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy within 2 days of making it and refrigerate leftovers up to a week.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hello,can I use a mixer or food processor to make this bread?
Hi Liza, I haven’t tested that to advise, but one of my readers mentioned she “Easy to put together, used craisins, and food processor to combine dry ingredients and cut in butter.” If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi,so I used food processor the mixture was really sticky.Its a little messy shaping the dough ,I just put it as is in the pan and it turn out well and its really a yummy bread.Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Liza!
Hi Natasha! I love all your recipes and they have never failed me!! Your recipe is similar to one I tried to make last night with gluten free flour (Bobs 1 to 1). It was a “gluten free” recipe. I’m going to make this one with regular flour. I’m wondering if you know or have tried to make it with gluten free flour? I’m not sure if it would produce the same results? Any suggestions or tips? Thanks so much!!
Hi Lilli! Thank you, I’m glad you love my recipes. I have not tested this recipe with GF flour and to be honest, I don’t have experience with using GF flour to advise. One of my readers left this comment, “I loved this recipe! I did use gluten free all purpose flour though and instead of buttermilk I did ~300ml oat milk and ~25ml white wine vinegar and it was still moist and amazing!” I hope that helps.
That does help! The soda bread is finished and cooling now. I’ll take a pic and hashtag you!!
Since I cant have any gluten due to Celiac disease, I can’t, but my husband sure can haha.
Thank you again!!!!
You’re welcome! I look forward to seeing a picture! 🙂
The bread is delicious! This will be my go-to recipe. I used raisins and powdered buttermilk. The bread baked in a round on parchment paper using a half-sheet pan.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Kathleen!
I am so impressed with this recipe. I never made Soda Bread before. My husband said he didn’t like it Soda Bread…guess what…he likes it now! This recipe is so different from the dry stuff you get at the store. My co-workers LOVED it too! I’m visiting a sick relative tomorrow and taking 2 loaves since it turned out so well! Just an add on…a friend of mine who make biscuits alot told me a little trick about GRATING cold butter into the flour. It blends so easily!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Mary!
Whenever I cook or bake something new (which is often), the first thing I do is Google your name and recipe for whatever I’m making. It’s never served me wrong.
That’s so awesome! Thank you for sharing that thoughtful feedback with me, Harold!
Not my favorite recipe for Irish soda bread. I felt like it was lacking flavor (which is surprising considering all of the butter that is in the recipe). I felt like it needed either more salt or more sugar.
Hi Kate, this is a pretty typical flavor profile for soda bread as it’s not intended to be a dessert bread as much as something like banana bread.
Hi question about the milk in Irish soda bread. Is it 3/4 of a cup or 1 & 3/4 cups ? Love your recipes! I have a lot of favorites.
Hi Lucy, we use 1 & 3/4 cups of cold buttermilk. I hope that helps.
Thanks I will try baking it today.looks easy enough. but I usually mess things up.
Looking forward to trying the recipe.
Is it necessary for the buttermilk to be low fat?
Hi Teresa! That should be fine. 🙂
best sweet bread EVER !!!!!!!!!!!
easy instructions to follow. my wife and I ate half the loaf in one sitting,thank you for sharing your PASSION, could we add chopped wallnuts with dried fruit combined to fill 1/2 cup?
Thanks
Hi Diane! Thank you so much for the feedback. I’m happy to hear that. I haven’t tested adding fried fruits or nuts, but I think it would work just fine. Let us know if you experiment. 🙂
Hi, Natasha. I just made your soda bread recipe this morning to have with our breakfast. This isn’t my usual recipe, but I decided I’d give it a try, and I’m so glad I did! I was a little nervous at first, as the dough was wetter and stickier than my other recipe, but I just made sure my hands and my board were floured well. The result was a tender, perfect crumb that was very scone-like. I put some butter and jam on mine, and it was heavenly. This will definitely be my go-to recipe from now on!
Yay! Love it, thank you for sharing. So glad you found your new favorite recipe.
Hi Natasha! I’m making your Irish soda bread. I only have an 8 inch cast iron pot. Can I use that or something else.
I Karen, I haven’t tested it in that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi natasha! I don’t have the cast-iron pan is it okay to use the baking pan? Thanks
Hi Anabella! You can use a baking sheet or baking pan if you don’t have a cast-iron skillet.
Thanks and i did used the baking sheet it indeed great and so yummy 😋
Good to know that you liked it!
Hi, I just tried this as I was so in the mood for good bread but didn’t have all the ingredients for many other recipes. This called for one egg and, I found I had powdered buttermilk. I followed the instructions carefully. Was hoping the bread would rise correctly etc. Well, the house is full of a delicious bread smell. I added slightly more sugar and sightly less baking time since the loaf was looking pretty brown. I tapped the top, and it’s sounded hollow. So, I took it out, a bit challenging for me to flip the heavy hot pan over. But, i did it. The first small piece I had with nothing else. The flavor was great. The next had some butter. It’s very satisfying smell wise, taste wise and accomplishment wise. Thanks for the well explained and very good recipe.
Hi Christa! That is so great to hear. I’m happy it worked out and happy you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi, Christa, I have a cheat for you. We never have buttermilk on hand, add 1 tsp. of vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes – great buttermilk substitute.
You can use lemon juice also instead of vinegar, making this this week for a late St. Patrick’s day get together.
I made this recipe in April. A little late for St. Patrick’s Day, but still welcome at my house. My wife (a baker’s daughter) said, “This is the best Irish Soda Bread I have ever had! My Dad would have been proud.”
I made it with a combination of dried cranberries and raisins, used powdered buttermilk instead of fresh and adjusted the baking time a little because I baked it in a Dutch oven.
Thank you, Natasha
Love it, thank you for sharing that with us! I hope your family will love every recipe that you will try for them.
Natasha we love your soda.bread recipe My mom made it when I was growing up in Ireland . I gave some to my friends they loved it wanted your recipe. Also loved your chicken Kiev.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Mary!
Hi, I’ve tried this recipe 2x. 1st time it was not properly cooked inside. I read comments & suggestions & retried it. I was super careful about measurements and not overworking the dough. I lowered the temp.of.my oven to 360 and I made the cuts almost all the way through. Still a little heavy for my taste. Any reccomendations? Has anyone tried making 2 smaller loaves?
Hi Janine, you might check that your baking soda is fresh and not expired. I had a sad instance recently with an old container of yeast that ruined my baking project.
Made this for a celebration gathering and it was a HUGE hit! Made it exactly as written. Great tasting, good texture, and easy to do.
Thank you for the awesome review, Krista!
Hello! Is sea salt a must in this recipe or can I use another salt? Iodized or kosher? Thanks!
Hi Brooke, that should be fine. I would research what the conversion would be if you are using a finer salt. You may need to use less.
Came out after 55 minutes absolutely perfect. Cannot wait to taste!
Sounds great! Please update us on how you liked the recipe.
Disappointed, I measured exactly as recipe called for, too wet and sticky. Had to add a lot more flour to work/ knead it and it still was too wet, I stopped adding flour as I was afraid of it getting too tough and just threw it in the pan. It spread some in the pan, didn’t rise much, the flavor was ok, but will go back to Taste of Home version I’ve used before
Hi Chris, check out this post on how we measure ingredients for baking which should help. It sounds like the proportion of wet to dry ingredients might have been off.