Easy homemade Irish soda bread is perfect for any day of the week. Dense and soft with an incredible crusty exterior.
No kneading. No rising. No yeast. No waiting for hours! Quick, easy, and delicious. Your house will smell like a bakery.
A traditional quick bread made with simple ingredients. Crusty outside, soft inside, a must-try for bread lovers. Great for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this quick baking soda bread recipe.
Life is busy. My sundried tomato and olive bread takes a little time to make, but worth the effort. Traditional Irish soda bread is the perfect way to enjoy homemade bread using minimal ingredients. Made in a fraction of the time.
When you can make delicious biscuit recipes in a snap, like Gramma’s drop biscuits, life is good. Give these cottage cheese biscuits a try too. So much better than the famous store-bought tinned variety.
So that the heck is soda bread anyway? A quick bread that does not use yeast or require rising time. It produces a dense and moist loaf with a golden crust.
If you are new to the bread-making experience, this easy recipe is the perfect place to start. It does not require any yeast. Instead, all of its leavening comes from baking soda and buttermilk.
Traditionally the 4 basic ingredients include flour, baking soda, buttermilk, and salt. It can also be made with a combination of whole wheat flour and regular flour. Some recipes also include the addition of raisins.
I bet your family will like it so much it will become your favourite side. We absolutely love it with tomato crab soup.
With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, it pairs perfectly with this easy corned beef and potato on the stove dinner. A must along side Guinness Irish stew.
Basic Soda Bread Ingredients
- flour
- sugar
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- butter
- buttermilk
How To Make Easy Irish Soda Bread In Minutes
You will be a pro in no time. Full instructions are in the recipe card.
- Place the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the buttermilk.
- Mix with a spatula to combine.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and mix until it forms a ball, adding a little more flour as you work the dough.
- Place on a baking sheet.
- Score and bake.
Suggestions / Recipe Tips
- Do not over-work the dough. It should have an uneven and shaggy appearance. This dough has more of a scone like texture. Add a bit more flour as you work it into a ball.
- Be sure to score the top of the bread before baking.
- Always use cold butter. The colder the butter the less sticky the dough will be.
- If you choose to bake the bread in a cast-iron skillet, add a few minutes to the baking time as it will take a little longer.
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, here are some great buttermilk substitutes.
- Adding the salt on top before baking is optional. Course sea salt is perfect for this.
How long will it last? It will dry out quickly, so it is best eaten the day of baking. For longer use, wrap it tightly or place it in an airtight container. It will last for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze it? Yes, you can. Tightly wrapped it will freeze well for 3-4 months.
Why Is There An X On Top Of Soda Bread?
Depending on where you get your facts, there are lots of legends. People believe the X on top symbolizes:
- to let the fairies out.
- the four corners represent the four provinces of Ireland!
- often said to ward off the devil and to protect the household.
- blessing the bread and giving thanks.
From a baking perspective, cutting the dough lets heat penetrate into the thickest part of the bread. Allowing it to stretch and expand while baking.
What is the difference between Irish soda bread and Irish brown bread?
Soda bread is slightly sweet. Think of a fresh-baked scone. It contains white flour, which gives it a mild flavor.
Brown bread is savory. It contains whole wheat flour, molasses, and oats. It has a nutty flavour.
Baking bread does not have to be time-consuming and complicated. This easy-to-make recipe makes an appearance quite often on our dinner table.
Try this recipe alongside:
- Chunky Chili, the perfect comfort food that will warm you up in a hurry
- Red Wine Lamb Stew takes comfort food to a whole new level of deliciousness. Great for date night.
- Mom’s Pea Soup always needs some great bread for dunking.
Looking For More Quick and Easy Bread Recipes?
- We love Cheezy Cornbread with chili. A must for the cast iron skillet.
- Have some bananas to use up? Basic Banana Bread is always a great place for them.
- Another no yeast option is Onion Bread, perfect for soups, stews, and chilis.
Easy Irish Soda Bread (Baking Soda Bread)
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold butter (cubed)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F and choose your preferred baking pan, sheet or cast iron skillet. I just used a parchment lined baking sheet.
- In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add the butter and mix until crumbly.
- Using a spatula add the buttermilk (not all at once) and mix until moist. The dough will have a shaggy texture.
- Turn dough onto floured surface and blend with your hands until it forms a round ball. Add a bit more flour to make it easier to handle. Try not to overwork it. Flatten with your hand slightly to form a disc about 7-8 inches across.
- Place on baking sheet. Score an X on the top with a sharp knife (about ½ way through the bread.
- At this point, you can top with the coarse salt if you like.
- Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes. Check with a cake tester. The top should be browned, and the bread will have a hollow sound when you tap on the bottom.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool. At this point, I am ready to rip off a chunk!!
Erin @ Stay At Home Yogi
I love baking Irish Soda Bread every March. Can’t wait to try out your recipe.
Chef G
Thanks hope you enjoy it!!
Athena
I have never made Irish Soda Bread but with my Irish roots I have always loved it. I just may have to try making it this year – yours looks incredible.
Chef G
It is so easy give it a try and you will see.
Cynthia L
I love making bread. There is something wonderful about the feel of dough in your hands. I have never made Irish Soda break, but will have to give your recipe a try! Yum…I will make some stew also.
Chef G
Hope you have fun….FYI…My stew recipe will be on the blog this week!!
Alison
I love soda bread. It was one of the first breads I learnt to make and is still the one I am best at. Yours looks lovely
Chef G
Well thanks so much…it is easy as you know…but so good.
Angie@cuisinestudy
This bread is gorgeous!I want a slice for breakfast!
Chef G
Yes it works for breakfast too!!
Neli @ Delicious Meets Healthy
This bread looks so delicious! I definitely have to give it a try! saving your recipe.
Chef G
Thanks it really is delicious!!
Sara @ Life's Little Sweets
I love Irish soda bread! This is inspiring me to make some, it looks so good, I have pinned this recipe, thank you for sharing it!
Chef G
You are welcome.
Jeff the Chef
I’ve heard of this so many times, and have never tried it. (Glad it’s not green.) How long is it’s shelf life?
Chef G
Well like any fresh bread you should eat in within a day or two. I do freeze part of it for later use if we are not going to eat it all.
Mama to 5 BLessings
I have never had soda bread before. This looks delicious! Warm out of the oven with butter or honey drizzled on top – yum!
Chef G
You got it….warm out of the oven is so good.
retno
noted,. looks so yummy and easy to make… thank you for the recipe
Chef G
Thanks it is easy to make and oh so yummy!!
LauraFunk
I have made this before and it is the creamiest most amazing bread ever. SO GOOD
Chef G
It is a winner for sure.
keikilani
I love Irish Soda bread! I haven’t made any in a while. You have inspired me to make some this week.
Chef G
We love it and it is so easy.
Maggie @Mommy's Gone Shopping Again
I have never made Irish Soda Bread before! That looks delicious! I always make corned beef and sauerkraut for dinner on St. Patrick’s Day so I will be adding this to the meal! Thanks for sharing!
Chef G
It will go perfect with it!!
Rosey
I finally got to try it last year. I think it’s good. And I am a bread fanatic too. 🙂
Chef G
I love ALL kinds of bread!!
laura londergan
I have never had this before but it sounds so good. Looks pretty easy too.
Chef G
It is super easy!!