Name: Irish Soda Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour; 1.5 teaspoon sea salt (1-1/2 teaspoon); 1 teaspoon baking soda; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional); 1.75 cups buttermilk (1.5 to 1.75 cups)

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Traditional Irish Soda Bread is a type of quick bread that uses baking soda and buttermilk instead of yeast as a leavening agent. The ingredients used to make this hearty, crusty, dense and delicious loaf of bread are flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, and buttermilk.

Looking down on a loaf of Traditional Irish Soda Bread with a bowl of butter on the side.

Irish Soda Bread that is traditionally served in Ireland does not contain raisins, orange zest, nuts, egg, or butter. It is a simple, quick bread that can be made quickly before the meal.

The adjustments were made by the American-Irish looking to branch out and add something to this basic bread. Personally, I love it just the way it is!!

Irish soda bread on a wood cutting board with the end cut off and placed on a white plate in the background.

Images updated on February 18, 2022 using real buttermilk.

Ingredients you will need

Traditional Irish Soda Bread ingredients.

All-purpose flour is mixed with sea salt, baking soda, and a small amount of sugar (which is optional).
Buttermilk creates the chemical reaction with the baking soda to make the bread rise. Check below for a non-dairy substitution if needed.

Be sure to check out the detailed printable recipe card below

how to prepare Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner and set aside.

Place flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, and whisk to combine.

Flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.

Add enough buttermilk to make a stiff dough.

Flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and buttermilk in a large bowl.

Be careful to not overwork the dough. The dough should be very soft, but not soggy.

Irish soda bread mixture in a large bowl.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a large round. Lift it up and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cut a “cross” in the top of the dough with a sharp knife about an inch deep across the entire surface to ward off evil spirits…..or to let the fairies out, whichever you prefer.

Irish soda bread dough on a parchment lined baking sheet with a deep cross cut into the top.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom when tapped with your fingers.

Remove from oven and wrap in a clean tea towel. Place the wrapped loaf on a wire rack to cool slightly. The towel traps the steam which helps to soften the crusty exterior.

Slice it up and slather with softened butter. Serve with a nice cup of tea, bowl of Creamy Parsnip and Apple Soup, or Guinness Pot Roast.

Chunks of beef roast, potatoes, and carrot slices in a Guinness stout gravy with buttered bread on the edge of the bowl.

Dairy-free Buttermilk

The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Do to a severe lactose intolerance, I use coconut milk (the kind in a box found in the dairy section) mixed with apple cider vinegar to create my own buttermilk.

This makes the bread a bit more dense than usual, but it doesn’t make me sick so that’s a good trade off in my book.

Coconut milk mixed with apple cider vinegar in a large measuring cup.

Tools used to create this recipe

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More quick bread recipes

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Homemade Beer Bread

Lemon Blackberry Bread

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Enjoy!!

Irish Soda Bread

Traditional Irish Soda Bread is a type of quick bread that uses baking soda and buttermilk instead of yeast as a leavening agent.

5 from 2 votes

Print Rate

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: Irish, bread, recipe

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: Servings

Calories: 260kcal

Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 teaspoon sea salt 1-1/2 teaspoon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons granulated sugar optional
1.75 cups buttermilk 1.5 to 1.75 cups

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat liner, set aside.
Place flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, whisk to combine.
Add enough buttermilk to make a stiff dough. Dough should be very soft, but not soggy. Add additional buttermilk if too dry.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a large round. Lift it up and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cut a "cross" in the top of the dough with a sharp knife about an inch deep across the entire surface to ward off evil spirits…..or to let the fairies out, whichever you prefer.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom when tapped with your fingers.
Remove from oven and wrap in a clean tea towel. Place the wrapped loaf on a wire rack to cool slightly. The towel traps the steam which helps to soften the crusty exterior.

Notes

Combine 1.75 cups milk (unsweetened cashew or coconut milk) with 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to make non-dairy buttermilk.
Store leftover bread in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.

Nutrition