Irish Soda Bread Recipes With Buttermilk

Irish Soda Bread with Buttermilk and Raisins is a favorite St. Patrick’s Day tradition at our house. Soft and tender on the inside, with a hint of sweetness, the buttermilk delivers a subtle tang that is absolutely delicious.

Soda Bread was first created in the late 1830s when the first iteration of baking soda was introduced to the United Kingdom.

Traditional

During the Great Potato Famine, access to ingredients to make bread became difficult. The inspiration for Irish Soda Bread was born from a necessity for inexpensive, easily obtainable ingredients. Traditional soda bread ingredients were “soft” wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and soured milk.

Gluten Free Soda Bread Without Buttermilk

According to Census data, there are 39.6 million Americans who claim Irish heritage including five million who say they are of Scots-Irish heritage.

That number is almost seven times larger than the entire population of Ireland (6.3 million). After German, Irish is the most common ancestry of Americans with the bulk of those claiming Irish ancestry residing along the eastern seaboard (Irish Central).

So whether you can claim the green or not, according to the National Retail Federation, says half of all Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day each year.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Lucky me– and lucky you! We’re in great company. It’s a big deal at our house as we claim Irish descent, on nearly every branch of our family tree. And celebrate, we do!

While this soda bread recipe is a slight departure from the traditional, this is the one my family always requests. For a truly traditional soda bread, view my Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread recipe.

This simple-to-make bread is perfectly delicious with Emerald Isle comfort food or Irish Pub food. And one I make all spring long.

Irish Soda Bread Without Buttermilk

Make sure you don’t lose track of this recipe by pinning it for later! If you are not already, you can follow me onPinterest, as well as keep up with me onFacebook, Instagram, andYouTube. If you make this recipe I would also love it if you’d tag me in your photos and leave a star rating below!

Irish Soda Bread, a national heritage… and a Wilson family favorite. Whether it be St. Patrick’s Day or any spring day. A delicious twist on thetraditional Irish Soda Bread.

Serving Ideas I like to cut the loaf into wedges and served with a pat of Irish butter and a drizzle of honey.

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Serving: 1 g | Calories: 274 kcal | Carbohydrates: 45 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 8 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g | Cholesterol: 22 mg | Sodium: 524 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 11 gQuick and easy, this Irish soda bread recipe is a classic. Our version is made with flour, baking soda, buttermilk, raisins, egg, and a touch of sugar and salt. Don’t let the simplicity fool you — it’s a real keeper and takes less than 45 minutes.

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

It appears everyone has their favorite Irish soda bread recipe. Some with caraway seeds, some with raisins, some with both, some with neither.

Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe %

The essential ingredients in traditional Irish soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The acid in buttermilk reacts with the base of the baking soda to provide the bread's leavening. This leavening from buttermilk and baking soda is what gives the bread its name: soda bread.

Irish

This soda bread is a slightly fancied up Americanized version of the Irish classic, with a little butter, sugar, an egg, and some currants or raisins added to the base. You can bake it in a cast iron frying pan (now that's traditional!) or on a regular baking sheet.

You can also make a simpler version without eggs or currants, with some caraway seeds, or you could turn your soda bread dough into biscuits.

Grandma's Sweet Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Soda bread dries out quickly so it really is only good for a day or two. It is best eaten freshly baked and warm or toasted. Keep it wrapped in plastic wrap or foil.

That said, you can make it ahead and freeze it (let it cool to room temperature first). Wrap it tightly first in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. It will last up to 2 months frozen.

Traditionally, bread in Ireland was made in a skillet because the wheat that grew there was what's called soft wheat, which contained less gluten than its counterparts in America. The domestic Irish wheat didn't interact well with yeast and did not rise very well.

Spelt Irish Soda Bread

Hence, the introduction of baking soda as a leavening agent, which reacts with the buttermilk to form small carbon dioxide bubbles, approximating the chemical reaction of yeast.

What we consider traditional Irish bread came about because of the Native Americans, who used a sort of wood ash as a leavening agent to make bread without yeast. This method of making bread was introduced to Ireland in the 1830s.

Grandma's

Different types of soda bread are popular throughout Ireland, but all of them are pretty simple, everyday breads. They were found in every household to mop up stews or to enjoy with a cup of tea. The Northern Irish divide their dough into 4 triangles, while the Southerners made theirs round with a cross shape on top. Here in America, we like to put in add-ins like caraway seeds, currants, raisins, or honey. Modern Irish soda breads might contain nuts, orange zest, or even Guinness.

Soda Bread Without Buttermilk • Recipe For Perfection

There are only a few ingredients in this soda bread recipe, so it's best if made with real buttermilk. However, there are a few buttermilk substitutions that work well and will still react with the baking soda to make the bread rise. Kefir works especially well, or you can thin yogurt to the consistency of buttermilk using plain milk.

You can also acidify milk with lemon juice or white vinegar. Add 2 scant tablespoons to a measuring cup and top with whole milk to make 1 3/4 cups total. Stir and let sit for a few minutes until the mixture curdles, then proceed with the recipe as written.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

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Fun fact: this easy Irish soda bread recipe is a really good bread that is dense, moist, and delicious. So while you can serve it for St. Patrick’s Day, it’s fantastic with soups and other main courses.

Traditional

Buttermilk Soda Bread

A few other really easy to make bread recipes I have are: Beer Bread (so good!!), Buttermilk Cornbread (my favorite!), and Garlic Cheddar Biscuits (we make these all the time).

I want to give you just a few interesting facts about Irish Soda Bread with buttermilk.Don’t worry I won’t bore you — it’s only a few!

These 4 ingredients create an authentic Irish soda bread that I feel tastes similar to buttermilk biscuits or scones.The loaf is dense, slightly sour from the buttermilk, and has a hard crust.It’s perfect to pair with soups and stews, but I also like it warm and slathered with butter!

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe With Buttermilk

Sure! While it won’t be traditional if you add other ingredients, it’s a fun way to incorporate new flavors. Here are some ideas:

For best results, let the bread cool all the way. Then wrap and place in a sealed container. It can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Yes, cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil or place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature overnight.

The Best Irish Soda Bread Without Buttermilk (vegan Dairy Free Option)

Traditional Irish Soda Bread- this Irish Soda Bread recipe only requires 4 ingredients! It doesn't use yeast so it's simple to make!

Irish

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the information shown is just an estimate.

Hi, my name is Malinda and welcome to Countryside Cravings! Here you will find recipes to please the whole family. I hope you’ll stay and have a look around.Irish Soda Bread is a very easy recipe to make! Buttermilk and baking soda give this bread its rise and a delicious flavor.

No Knead Seeded Irish Soda Bread With Buttermilk