Irish Soda Bread Recipe Traditional

How many of you have ever had a loaf of Traditional Irish Soda Bread???How many of you only eat it around St. Patrick’s Day??

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.

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).

Ingredient Traditional Irish Soda Bread

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!

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:

Fresh Irish Soda Bread Recipe

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.

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

Easy Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (4 Ingredients) • The Fresh Cooky

* 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.Traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe – an easy rustic crusty loaf of bread that comes together in 45 minutes, start to finish!

Is Irish Soda bread actually eaten in Ireland? The answer is Yes! A plainer version, (like this one!), is commonly eaten in Ireland.

Super Simple Irish Soda Bread

During the early years of European settlement of the Americas, settlers used soda or pearl ash, more commonly known as potash (pot ash) or potassium carbonate, as a leavening agent (the forerunner to baking soda) in quick breads. 

After baking soda was developed in the US in 1846, breads, griddle cakes and scones with bicarbonate of soda, plus cream of tartar or tartaric acid, became popular in European countries as well.

This recipe couldn’t be simpler! Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees F. Then, simply combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk, then make a well in the center of the bowl. Add the buttermilk, then use a wooden spoon or a Danish Dough whisk to combine, until a dough forms. Do not over mix.

Crock Pot Irish Soda Bread

The dough will be very shaggy, and that is totally normal! Pour the dough out onto a floured work surface, and use floured hand to press the dough together, kneading for a minute. Then use your hands to press the dough into a round boule shape. Using a sharp chef’s knife or a bread lame (linked below), slash a big X on the top of the loaf to let the steam escape.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place the dough onto the parchment paper. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust is deeply golden brown. Let the bread cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing, then serve warm with salted butter, good cheeses, and jam.

When I first tasted Soda bread, I immediately thought: buttermilk biscuit x crusty bread = heaven! The flavor of the bread was very familiar to me from making and eating so many buttermilk biscuits. The outer crust is crunchy, and the crumb is a bit dense and soft. It’s like the mashup I never knew that I needed.

Irish Soda Bread Recipe Prepared With Einkorn Flour

Soda bread is a type of quick bread traditionally made in a variety of global cuisines, where baking soda is used as a leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added, such as butter, egg, raisins, or nuts, but these ingredients are not as traditional.

The amazing thing about Irish Soda bread, and other quick breads, is that you can prepare it quickly and reliably, without requiring the time-consuming skilled labor and temperature control needed for traditional yeast breads.

When it comes to substitutions, I wouldn’t change the base formula. Baking is chemistry and if you change one of these four pillar ingredients, your results will not be the same.

Irish Soda Bread With Dried Blueberries

However, you can absolutely add mix – ins! Some popular additions are currants, raisins, caraway seeds, and even grated sharp cheddar cheese.

This delicious Traditional Irish Soda Bread is best stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, place it in an airtight bag, and freeze them for up to 1 month. It makes amazing toast, and very delicious French toast.

I can’t wait to see your take on this Irish Soda Bread. Remember to tag me @lions.bread in your pics so I can all of the delicious things you’re making from my site. I love seeing my recipes come to life in your kitchens!

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

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*This post may contain affiliate links. This means that a portion of the sales benefit me, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Lion’s Bread.Quick 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.

Irish Soda Bread With Raisins

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

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.

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.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread — Let's Dish Recipes

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.

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.

Irish Soda Bread (baked In A Dutch Oven)

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.

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.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread (easy Recipe)

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.

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

Classic Irish Soda Bread Recipe: How To Make It