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!!
Melissa
Yum! It looks delicious! I used to make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, but haven’t really made anything in years. We will definitely need to try this!
Homemade & Yummy
It is super easy..and I just pulled some out of the freezer. It freezes great too.
Veena Azmanov
I have made a lot of bread.. BUT never ever tried soda bread. ! Something I’ve always wanted to try. Now I can. Thanks Gloria
Homemade & Yummy
It really is so easy and delicious. Perfect for when you want fresh bread in a hurry.
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)
Revisiting this post to get the ingredients so I can add to my grocery list! YUM, thanks for sharing!
Chef G
Thanks for stopping by…please let me know how it turns out!!
Tina Marie
I can almost smell this bread cooking! My grandmother used to make soda bread all the time! Great memories.
Chef G
The aroma is awesome!!
Dini @ The Flavor Bender
I love Irish Soda Bread!! Looking at your photos I want to make some right now! It looks delicious and I agree, I could eat it all day long too 🙂
Chef G
It is so easy and so good…I could eat the whole thing!!
The Food Hunter
A pillow of bread sounds divine.
Chef G
Oh yes I do agree.
Bella B (xoxoBella)
I have never tried making bread like this. I think it is time I did! This looks tasty!
Chef G
So easy and so tasty…hope you give it a try soon.
krishrecipes
This looks Fantastic and delicious
Chef G
Thanks so much!!
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)
Your Irish Soda Bread looks delish! Perfect for St. Patty’s day. I am starting to collect all my recipes and this is on my list!
Chef G
Thanks….hope you give it a try.
Kelly Hutchinson
I had no idea how easy this Irish Soda Bread was to make. It would go perfectly with my chili I am making this weekend.
Chef G
Absolutely easy….and YES it would!!
Amanda
Your soda bread looks great! Such a wonderful texture. I can never resit making a loaf of soda bread…or two…or more…each year!
Chef G
They are great that’s for sure.
Censie
you recipe looks so easy. I am going to have to try this soon. WE are having stew this week, this would be a great side dish. YUMMY!!!
Chef G
Oh yes…perfect with stew!!
Jennifer B
I love Irish soda bread too because it is so easy and delicious! I am going to give your recipe a try!
Chef G
Thanks….hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Lois Alter Mark
I love Irish soda bread, and that looks amazing. I think I would eat an entire loaf myself!
Chef G
I know the feeling.
maria @ closetohome
I have made a few Irish Soda Bread recipes in the past but I add currants or raisins. My kids might enjoy this without the dried fruit.