Irish Soda Bread

5 from 7 votes
4 Comments

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Irish Soda Bread is an authentic and tasty side to accompany your St. Patrick’s Day meal. No yeast, no waiting for it to rise, super easy to make! 

Sliced loaf of Irish Soda Bread and a bread knife.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Traditional Irish Soda Bread Ingredients
  2. What is Irish Soda Bread?
  3. Steps to Making the Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe
  4. Frequently Asked Questions
  5. How to Serve Irish Soda Bread
  6. Storing the Best Irish Soda Bread
  7. More Delicious Bread to Try
  8. How to Make Irish Soda Bread
  9. Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Our traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal just isn’t complete without a warm loaf of this Irish soda bread. It’s so easy to make that it takes no time at all and really adds to the meal. Because it’s got such a mild flavor, and there’s no yeast or rising involved, it’s an ideal quick bread that can be made any night of the week!

This Irish soda bread tastes delicious with soups and stews, sliced up with cheese melted on top, or just spread with butter and jam. It has a biscuit-like texture and a unique flavor that is well-liked. Try it and see for yourself, it’s so yummy!

Ingredients to make Irish Soda Bread including flour, buttermilk, butter, egg, caraway seeds, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sour cream and sugar.


Traditional Irish Soda Bread Ingredients

Stir together the dry ingredients then combine the remainder to make this easy soda bread recipe! Use a lightly floured surface to knead that bread then bake it until golden brown. It is a quick and easy bread that can be enjoyed with any meal!

  • Flour – All purpose flour is the thickener of the bread. It is the base that keeps the bread together.
  • Sugar – Adds in the sweetness!
  • Baking powder and baking soda – Combining these two ingredients help build and lift the bread as it is baking in the oven.
  • Salt – Balances out the flavor and texture of the bread.
  • Caraway seeds – These have a unique flavor to them making this a traditional Irish bread.
  • Butter – Use cold unsalted butter and use a pastry blender to give the bread that crumbly texture.
  • Sour cream – Softens the bread and gives it moisture as well as flavor.
  • Egg – One large egg. This is what binds the bread together and gives it that sticky texture.
  • Buttermilk – Since this is similar to quick bread the buttermilk tenderizes the bread and breaks down the stands of gluten helping it become soft while baking. You can make your own buttermilk mixture by combining a cup of whole milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.
Sliced loaf of Irish Soda Bread on a cutting board.

What is Irish Soda Bread?

Irish Soda Bread is traditionally made with caraway seed, which I love. It gives the bread a unique flavor and bites to it. If you are not a fan of the Caraway flavor you can easily leave it out. The taste is very mild otherwise and has a similar flavor and texture to biscuits. Originally, Irish Soda Bread was baked in a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, griddles or in a cast iron pan, since kitchens in old Ireland had kitchens with open hearths instead of ovens. Legend says that in Ireland, a cross was always cut on top of the loaf to ward off evil spirits and protect the household. I also think it looks pretty with the slices on top.

Bowl with butter cut into dry ingredients with a pastry blender.


Steps to Making the Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe

This Irish soda bread recipe is simple to make and has all the flavor! The flour mixture is easy to blend together and combined with the liquid ingredients the homemade bread comes together quickly and easily!

  1. Mix – Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and caraway seed.
  2. Whisk – Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or whisk until thoroughly combined.
  3. Combine – Mix in the egg, sour cream, and buttermilk until you have a sticky dough.
  4. Knead – Pour the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until soft, adding more flour as needed.
  5. Bake – Place dough into a 9-inch round pan (I just used a glass pie pan) or on a baking sheet and cut a deep x in the center. Use parchment paper or cooking spray. Bake until a nice golden brown.
  6. Serve – Brush with a little melted butter. Cool at room temperature on a wire rack. Slice with a sharp knife or a serrated knife when serving.
Slits cut into a ball of Irish Soda Bread dough in a cake pan. Knife on the side.

“Made this for my first time! I wanted to have it with the Irish Stew I was making on this chilly rainy day to compliment it. Both were delicious! This is added to my favorites! Moist and tasty bread!😋”

-Suz

Frequently Asked Questions

What is special about Irish soda bread?

This bread has a different shape to it and a unique flavor when compared to other bread recipes. The Caraway flavor is something that creates the texture as well as the flavor. It is hard and crispy but also soft and crumbly compared to biscuits. The shape of the soda bread comes from the type of iron pot that it is baked in. It also has a cross marking on top splitting it into four sections.

What does Irish Soda Bread taste like?

This bread has a mild flavor, sort of like a biscuit. It tastes delicious with a slather of butter and jam, or with added ingredients like raisins, currants, orange zest, seeds, or nuts.

What’s the difference between Irish Bread and Irish Soda Bread?

Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like with a mild flavor.

READ MORE:30+ St. Patrick’s Day Ideas

Baked Irish Soda Bread in a pan with a pastry brush spreading butter.


How to Serve Irish Soda Bread

Make a complete meal with this Irish soda bread recipe. It is always a highlight during St. Patrick’s Day but can also be made throughout the year. It is a quick bread that can be enjoyed on any given night. Add a few more recipes to make a meal that can be enjoyed together!

Storing the Best Irish Soda Bread

Place the leftover soda bread into an airtight container or cover with aluminum foil and leave it at room temperature for five to seven days long. You can even cover it in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag for storage to help keep the bread from becoming too crusty and hard.

Two slices of Irish Soda Bread with butter on top. Bowl of caraway seeds on the side.

More Delicious Bread to Try

Bread is always a comforting side dish that gathers everyone around. If the bread is warm out of the oven the aroma gives you that warm feeling throughout your home. Slice the bread and everyone comes to the table wanting a slice. Enjoy these delicious choices of bread recipes that will bring you all the warm feelings!

How to Make Irish Soda Bread

Sliced loaf of Irish Soda Bread on a cutting board.

Irish Soda Bread

5 from 7 votes
Irish Soda Bread is an authentic and tasty side to accompany your St. Patrick's Day meal. No yeast, no waiting for it to rise, super easy to make! 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine Irish
Servings 12

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375℉.
  • In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and caraway seed.
    Bowl of dry ingredients combined.
  • Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or whisk until thoroughly combined.
    Bowl with butter cut into dry ingredients with a pastry blender.
  • Mix in the egg, sour cream, and buttermilk until you have a sticky dough.
    Bowl of sticky Irish Soda Bread dough. Wooden spoon on the side.
  • Pour the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until soft, adding more flour as needed.
    Ball of Irish Soda Bread over a flour surface.
  • Place dough into a 9-inch round pan (I just used a glass pie pan) and cut a deep x in the center.
    Slits cut into a ball of Irish Soda Bread dough in a cake pan. Knife on the side.
  • Bake for about 40 minutes or until a nice golden brown. Brush top with a little melted butter. Cool at room temperature.
    Baked Irish Soda Bread in a pan with a pastry brush spreading butter.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 249kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 6gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 368mgPotassium: 200mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 258IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 2mg

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About the author

Emily Walker

Emily lives in Meridian, Idaho, with her husband, Beau, a physician assistant, and her three incredible children: a son and two daughters. Travel is one of her favorite ways to experience new cultures and cuisines, and she has a love for all things Disney.

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  1. 5 stars
    Made this for my first time! I wanted to have it with the Irish Stew I was making on this chilly rainy day to compliment it. Both were delicious! This is added to my favorites! Moist and tasty bread!😋

  2. 5 stars
    For making St. Patrick’s Day Irish Stew, I experimented one year (many years ago) by making my stew that day with Lamb stew meat instead. Let me tell you, that made for one of the pots of stew I have ever made!! Since then, Lamb stew meat has gotten harder and harder to find. But, if I can find it, you can bet that’s what I will be serving with my Irish Soda Bread!!