Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is easy and delicious

I am not claiming that my version of Irish Soda Bread is particularly authentic. I think in Ireland, it is more savory, while mine is a bit on the sweet side. Here in the States, when you see Irish Soda Bread, chances are, it’s going to resemble this recipe. Plus, it’s an easy recipe, if you want to make bread without yeast.

What is important about Irish Soda Bread?

The best Irish Soda Bread has a few important attributes.  First and foremost, it is leavened with baking soda, rather than baking powder, yeast, or sourdough starter. Baking soda is partly what gives this bread its deeply colored, somewhat crisp, but still tender crust.

Most recipes for Irish Soda bread also contain buttermilk. Buttermilk, combined with the baking soda results in a lighter crumb, and springier texture than you might expect from a bread not leavened with yeast, or kneaded to develop gluten.  It really is a quick bread in every sense of the term.

Irish Soda Bread is made by the “Biscuit Method”

Recently, I explained a different method of creating a batter or dough, called the “Muffin Method”. The Biscuit Method differs quite a bit, and you see it used in various baking recipes.  In this method, there are usually 3 elements that are combined.  All of the dry ingredients, a fat, and then wet ingredients.

Chill the ingredients

The fat and the wet ingredients must be very cold. That helps you get the lighter texture that you want in this bread, as well as in something like the crust on my Chicken Pot Pie. I often cut the butter into little pieces and put it in the freezer. Not long – just for the few minutes it takes to combine the rest of the ingredients.  It’s long enough to keep it cold, without freezing it until it’s too hard to mix in well.

The extra ingredients make all the difference

Caraway seeds seem to be pretty universal in Irish Soda Bread, though sometimes you’ll see a recipe with toasted walnuts.  And, I’m particularly fond of the crimson raisins I used in this batch.  My second choice would be golden raisins, and those might be easier to find. Even regular ordinary raisins are great.  Raisins add just the right amount of sweetness and they are a nice contrast to the nutty and slightly anise-like flavor of the caraway seeds.

Buttermilk on the crust

Buttermilk brushed on the outside of the loaf before baking makes a huge difference in the crust.  It helps with deep browning, a key feature of this bread. In addition, it helps achieve a very crisp crust – almost flaky in texture that is so important.  Be very generous with the buttermilk on the entire outside surface right before popping the loaf in the oven.

You also want to score the top deeply, so that the finished loaf pulls apart easily – an important thing for Irish Soda Bread.  You don’t usually cut it into slices, but instead pull it apart into chunks. I might slice leftovers to toast the next day, but no slicing when I’m serving alongside my Guinness Beef Stew or with corned beef and Brussels Sprout Colcannon. Chunks please, and lots of soft butter. So, don’t forget to score the top!

How to make Irish Soda Bread

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

No ratings yet

Irish Soda Bread

Author: Donalyn

Irish Soda Bread is soft and fluffy inside with, a lovely crisp crust on the outside. Easy to make!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Side Dishes

Meal: Dinner

Servings: 8

Equipment

• Pastry Cutter
• Bench Scraper

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
• 5 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup red, golden, or regular raisins
• 1 cup cold buttermilk, well shaken
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk for top

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400º
• Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl - a whisk works well for this
• Using a pastry cutter, or your fingers, quickly cut in the cold butter until you have pieces of butter about the size of peas
• Add the raisins, then stir in the buttermilk. A rubber spatula works well to fold the ingredients together. Be careful not to overmix, as that will cause a tough texture.
• Turn out onto a floured board and using well-floured hands, and a bench scraper, form into a rough circle, about 6 or 7 inches in diameter. Carefully move to the prepared sheet pan.
• Using a razor blade or very sharp knife, score a large X on the top of the loaf, going down a 1/2 inch or so into the dough, and brush the entire surface generously with buttermilk.
• Bake for 30 minutes, lower the heat to 350º, and bake about 25 minutes more. You can test with a wooden skewer, which should come out clean when inserted near the center. The loaf should sound hollow when you tap the top.
• Cool on a rack. Serve warm with butter and jam, or whatever topping you prefer. Best eaten within 24 hours, though it is still good toasted a few days later.

You can create your own variations of this bread using different dried fruits, like chopped dried apricots or sour cherries, and toasted nuts like walnuts or pecans.  For an entirely savory version, omit all but a tablespoon of the sugar, and add in fresh herbs of your choosing, or perhaps some finely grated garlic.

How to store Irish Soda Bread

To store, wrap tightly and keep at room temperature for no more than two days.  If you know you’ll have leftovers, you can break the loaf in half and save half to slice thickly for toasting.  It does make very nice toast.  The texture gets kind of dry after a couple of days, so plan to use it up pretty quickly.  That shouldn’t be a problem at all!