Irish Soda Bread

Best served slathered with plenty of Irish butter, Irish soda bread is the best way to start your St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Whether you’re an occasional or avid bread baker, this quick bread is simple to create—the dough comes together in just 10 minutes. Keep it classic, or throw in mix-ins to add a sweet touch; this bread will please either way. Here’s everything you need to know:

How To Make Irish Soda Bread

INGREDIENTS

• All-Purpose Flour: Because Irish soda bread is a quick bread, we aren’t going to be adding yeast and waiting for the dough to rise. This means that a basic all-purpose flour is the way to go as we don’t need the extra protein of bread flour.
• Granulated Sugar: A little bit of granulated sugar in the dough helps to bring out a hint of sweetness turning it into something more akin to dessert. If you are adding fillings like chocolate chips, raisins, or currants and want a little bit of extra sweetness, sprinkle the extra divided sugar onto the top of the dough before baking.
• Baking Soda & Buttermilk: This combination is how we’re getting this bread to rise. The baking soda reacts with the acid in the buttermilk to create gas bubbles as the bread bakes, which is essential to keeping the bread light and moist.
• Butter: It is important to chill your butter so that it doesn’t melt when incorporating it into the dough. Room temperature butter won’t be able to have the hold necessary to provide the basic structure for the dough.
• Egg: The egg is going to add some extra protein, moisture, and structure to the bread that is necessary for moist crumb.
• Fillings: The fillings are optional here so really go for what you think will taste best. While traditional Irish soda bread doesn’t have any fillings at all, just a healthy spread of Irish butter on top, many recipes do call for the addition of currants. Because currants aren't easy for everyone to access, raisins are a suitable substitute. Similarly, if you are looking for a sweeter version of this easy bread, chocolate chips can be a very nice addition.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

The first step is to prep your oven and your skillet. Preheat the oven to 375°, grease a 10” ovenproof skillet with cooking spray, then line the bottom of the skillet with parchment paper so as to ensure the bread does not stick as it bakes.

Then, in a medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients and add in the butter. Using either a pastry cutter or your hands, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is evenly incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg and, once combined, add the mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture until just combined, but be careful not to overmix as to avoid a flat, too-dense bread. Then, if you are using any fillings, add them into the mixture and fold in gently, taking care not to lose too much air.

Turn the dough out in the prepared skillet and score with an “X” across the top with a sharp knife. Brush the top of the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar, if using.

Place the skillet into the heated oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Another way to tell that the bread is done is to tap to top and listen for a hollow sound. Once the bread is done baking, remove it from the oven and set it aside for at least 10 minutes to cool before slicing and serving.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

What Is Irish Soda Bread?

Irish soda bread is a quick bread that relies on a combination of baking soda (instead of yeast) and buttermilk to rise. It’s a fairly simple bread to create—if you enjoy baking, most likely you’ll already have the ingredients required ready in your pantry. While many Irish soda bread recipes include currants, very traditional Irish soda bread has no mix-ins at all. We’ve included options for a variety of mix-ins, so you can decide whether you’d rather go sweet or serve it up plain with some salty Irish butter.

Recipe Tips

• How to make Irish soda bread that isn’t dry. When adding your wet ingredients to your dry, stir until just combined—that’s it! Anymore and you could risk overmixing your dough, resulting in a dry loaf.
• Score the top. Before baking, score an X on top of your dough with a sharp knife. This will not only result in the loaf’s classic look, but will help your center bake through.
• Make it classic. If you’re looking for a traditional loaf, don’t add any mix-ins (or use currants), and skip sprinkling extra sugar on top.
• Get creative with your mix-ins. If you feel like adding a sweet twist to this bread, we recommend adding in currants, raisins, or chocolate chips if you really want to make this a sweet bread.

How To Serve Irish Soda Bread

This bread was made to be sliced and served with a healthy slab of butter. Use Irish butter if you really want to make this as traditional as possible, or add some homemade butter if you have any on hand.

Storage

Irish soda bread can dry out quickly, so it’s best to store this bread in an airtight container for around 2-3 days. If you want to freeze your bread, wait for it to cool to room temperature, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then foil, and place in the freezer for around 2 months.