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!!
Jacqueline Debono
I hardly ever make my own bread but this Irish soda bread looks so easy I can’t try it. Thanks for the tips on homemade buttermilk! Buttermilk isn’t so widely available here in Italy! Pinning for later!
Homemade & Yummy
This is such an easy recipe. Hope you give it a try. I think once you do, you will be making it all the time.
Marisa Franca
Well, I think the fairies did their magic to the bread before you cut the dough and let them out. It’s a beautiful loaf and I bet it is perfect go-along with any meal. We are huge bread lovers and I’d love to have a warm slice slathered with butter. So yummy! I’m keeping this in mind for St. Patrick’s Day.
Homemade & Yummy
I love the “fairy” part…such a fun little tip for this easy to make recipe.
Veena Azmanov
This is why I love soda bread. So simple, so easy and not waiting. Love all the detailed information . you provided Gloria. Need to try your recipe soon.
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks, Veena, although you could do this with your eyes closed. All that talent in those cakes makes this look like child’s play.
Lathiya
The irish soda bread looks amazing..perfect crumbs and I love to dunk a chunk in my milk
Homemade & Yummy
Well, that sounds like a great plan. ENJOY!
Arlene Mobley
I love homemade bread but not the time it takes to make. Thanks for this easy recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
Homemade & Yummy
This is super easy to make any night of the week. ENJOY and thanks for stopping by.
Linda
Oh my! I love a warm, toasty bread like this and am gonna try this one. I mean, the fact that it only takes 1 hour to bake it from scratch definitely wins.
Homemade & Yummy
I agree this is a keeper. I know once you give it a try, you will make it often.
Danielle Wolter
Why am I not making this bread??? I’m not much of a bread baker, but am all about a no-knead no yeast bread. it sounds so easy to make and I’ll bet it’s delicious. I hope I get a chance to try it this weekend!
Homemade & Yummy
I hope you do too. It is super delicious and quick to make.
Jolina
I can’t believe how quick to bake this is!! I love making bread too but my default recipe usually takes a couple of hours just the waiting/rising alone so lol. Can’t wait to try this out. Perfect for dunking into soup!
Homemade & Yummy
Well when you want freshly baked bread in no time, this is the recipe for you. Hope you give it a try.
Denise
That looks beautiful! I like that it seems so simple. I am not a baker but I’ve always wanted to make good homemade bread. Actually it’s on my bucket list. However so far I have not been successful so I’ll have to try this recipe. It looks like it would be perfect with a bowl fo stew or soup!
Homemade & Yummy
This is super easy to make. I promise you will master it THE FIRST TIME!! Give it a try and see for yourself.
Linda
I’m a fan of irish Soda Bread too! I love how easy it is and it always comes out moist and delicious. And I’m with you on reaching for it while it’s hot and slathering on the butter. Now I’m thinking I need this for dinner tomorrow.
Homemade & Yummy
I think I need this for dinner EVERY NIGHT!!
Laura Adney
I now need to make this. You make it so simple and yummy to follow!
Homemade & Yummy
Super easy for sure. I know it will turn out the first time. ENJOY!
Lois Christensen
A friend of mine and her husband always made Irish Soda Bread and would deliver it to our house on St. Patrick’s Day. But they moved away and I’ve been thinking of trying to make some for us this year. Your recipe came just in time! Looks really good.
Homemade & Yummy
This is so easy to make. A great way to have home baked bread all the time.
Kelly Anthony
I’ve never made soda bread but I really like the idea of making bread from start to finish in an hour.
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give it a try…it is super easy to make.
Stine Mari
Okay I didn’t know it was THAT easy! I love making bread and buns and all that, but it does take a long time. I will have to try this very soon!
Homemade & Yummy
EASY…so easy!!
Darlene @ Dip Recipe Creations
I love the idea of making bread without waiting for it to rise. I don’t know if I’ve ever had Irish Soda Bread, but this looks great and sounds so easy.
Homemade & Yummy
We love this, and it is so easy to whip up any night of the week.