22/11/2021
Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that does not require any yeast. Instead, all of its leavening comes from baking soda and buttermilk. This Irish soda bread recipe is my grandmother’s and has been cherished in my family for years. It’s dense, yet soft and has the most incredible crusty exterior. Buttermilk and cold butter are the secret to its delicious success!
Overview: How to Make Irish Soda Bread
The full printable recipe is below. Irish soda bread dough comes together in about 10 minutes. You need buttermilk, egg, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and butter.
1. Whisk buttermilk and 1 egg together. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl.
2. Cut cold butter into the flour mixture. Like scones and pie crust, cutting cold butter into the flour is a key step. Coating the flour in cold butter guarantees a lovely flaky texture. You can use a fork, your hands, or a pastry cutter. Add the wet ingredients.
3. Bring the dough together with your hands. Using a very sharp knife, score the dough. This allows the center to bake.
4. Bake until golden brown at 200 .C until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top. I usually place foil on top halfway through bake time.
5. Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads.
Ingredients
* 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) buttermilk*
* 1 large egg (optional, see note)
* 4 and 1/4 cups (531g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for your hands and counter
* 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 5 Tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed*
* optional: 1 cup (150g) raisins