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!!
Richa Gupta
Looks amazing and so easy to do as well! Love it!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes it is easy and delicious. Hope you give it a try.
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
This looks like such an easy, tender loaf! Love that bit about the fairies, too – how cute!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes…that is a cute little folk lore for sure.
abra
Those salt crystals on top! OMG! I could eat this entire loaf with an obscene amount of kerrygold butter on each bite 🙂 Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Homemade & Yummy
Nothing beats freshly baked bread butter.
Ben Myhre
I love homemade bread and this looks fantastic.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes is sure is.
Jenni
I LOVE a good soda bread, and this looks so tasty! Perfect to go with a nice soup or stew!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes….it is the perfect quick and easy bread to make for so many things.
Debra C.
I do have buttermilk on hand and I am totally making this, YUM!
Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy. This is such an easy recipe….and totally delicious.
Albert Bevia
There is absolutely nothing better than homemade bread, and yes, the aroma of bread baking is my favorite part about it too! thanks for the SUPER EASY recipe 🙂
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give it a try. Such an easy recipe. Perfect to make whenever you want fresh baked bread.
Amanda
I, too, love how easy it is to make Irish Soda Bread. It really comes together so quickly, and I love that rustic, craggily texture. I hadn’t heard the folklore about the cuts in the top being to “let the fairies out.” How fun! I absolutely love that. I’ll have to tell my St. Patrick’s dinner guests this year when I put the soda bread on the table!
Homemade & Yummy
HAHAH…yes I thought that was a cute little fact as well.
Hadia
Love Irish soda bread for both, it taste and its easiness to be ready in literally no time! Yours looks so good!
Homemade & Yummy
I know….it really is the best of both worlds.
Donna
Soda bread is the BEST! I grew up in Ireland and Soda bread was a staple in our house. I haven’t made my own in years, but it is still up there in my list of absolute favorite comfort foods. I am looking forward to trying this version out!
Homemade & Yummy
Well you certainly had the “real deal” in the UK. It would be great to taste it from there too.
Michelle
I cannot tell you how much I love Irish soda bread – although the version my Gram passed down has raisins and other nontraditional ingredients. I could eat this every day.
Homemade & Yummy
Well I think any version would be delicious.
Lucy Parissi
Love homemade bread especially when it is so easy and fuss free. Perfect for serving with some soup 🙂
Homemade & Yummy
Yes…this is so easy you can enjoy it year round…any night of the week.
Amy Nash
I did not know that bit about the fairies but I love it! Now I need to make this bread just so I can explain that to my daughters! This bread looks wonderful and I always have buttermilk in the fridge – it’s a staple in my cooking! My favorite part of a good loaf like this is that crusty bottom!
Homemade & Yummy
HHAHAHA….well I didn’t know about the fairies either. We learn something everyday. Hope you and your girls enjoy the bread.
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
I love a quick no yeast bread. Those flakes of salt – I want a slice right now slathered with butter. Ideal for cold winter days with a bowl of soup too!
Homemade & Yummy
Isn’t it funny what a bit of salt on top of bread does. This is a great quick and easy recipe.
Dana Sandonato
Look at the crackle on that bread! In my mind, it’s hard to beat homemade bread. It goes with anything! A simple smear of butter, pasta sauce, homemade soup… ugh. Now I just want homemade bread and soup. Lol. I’ve never had soda bread before, though. I’ve always wondered how it differed from other breads. I’m going to have to give it a shot 🙂
Homemade & Yummy
Well you really need to give this quick and easy bread a try. I think you will like it….especially the EASY part!!