This traditional Irish Soda Bread is perfect for breakfast or tea. Soft, rustic, and lightly sweet, it's delicious on its own or with butter and jam! No yeast or proofing required. Easy 6-ingredient recipe!
Looking for more easy bread recipes? Try my simple Homemade Bread recipe
About This Recipe
There is something very warm and nostalgic about soda bread. I used to make it quite a bit growing up, back when I was scared of using yeast in my baking. We would eat it for breakfast on weekends and even for a late-night snack with some butter.
The last time I made it was during the pandemic in 2020, when yeast was impossible to find. My wife and I really wanted to join the bread craze at the time, but literally searched every grocery store in our city and couldn't find yeast, so we decided on making soda bread. It was so good!
Soda bread is unique from other breads in that it is leavened with baking soda instead of yeast. In order for the baking soda to produce bubbles, it needs to react with an acidic ingredient, and in the case of soda bread, it's buttermilk.
Once the dough is made, you want to be cautious of overworking it. Knead it just enough (about 1 minute) so that all the flour is moistened. Once that is complete, throw it in the oven for about 45-55 minutes, and you will have a beautiful loaf with a hearty and fluffy interior and a crunchy crust.
Key Ingredients
All-purpose flour: As always, fluff your flour beforehand and use a spoon and knife to
"spoon and level" the flour into your measuring cup. This will give you the most accurate measurement.
Buttermilk: This is thicker and much more acidic than regular milk. We need the milk to be acidic to react with the baking soda to produce bubbles. For many recipes, you can substitute buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a measuring cup and filling it to the 1 cup line with milk. However, I find the flavor of soda bread to not be as good without real buttermilk.
Sugar: It's not soda bread without a tiny bit of sweetness. I use about 3 tablespoons for a loaf, and it's perfect.
Oil: For giving moistness to the crumb.
Baking soda: Do not confuse this with baking powder. Baking soda is very alkaline (the opposite of acidic), and when it comes into contact with an acid, it produces carbon dioxide. These bubbles make the soda bread light and fluffy.
Salt: For enhancing all the flavors.
Instructions
STEP 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, oil, baking soda, and salt.
STEP 2: Pour in the buttermilk and gently fold until it becomes too stiff to stir.
STEP 3: Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute until all flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, you can add a little bit more flour.
STEP 4: Shape the dough into a ball and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or greased cast iron or cake pan). Score the top with an X about ยฝ-inch deep.
STEP 5: Bake 45-55 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. If the top is browning too fast, tent with aluminum foil. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
๐ Recipe
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 ยผ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ยฐF and line a baking sheet with parchment. You can also use a greased 8-inch cast-iron or cake pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, oil, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour in the buttermilk and gently fold until it becomes too stiff to stir.
- Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute until all flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, you can add a little bit more flour.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the prepared pan. Score the top with an X about ยฝ-inch deep.
- Bake 45-55 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. If the top is browning too fast, tent with aluminum foil. Cool for 10 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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