Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that does not require any yeast. Instead, all of its leavening comes from baking soda and buttermilk. This Irish soda bread recipe is my grandmother’s and has been cherished in my family for years. It’s dense, yet soft and has the most incredible crusty exterior. Buttermilk and cold butter are the secret to its delicious success!
Welcome to my favorite Irish Soda Bread recipe. I shared this no yeast bread recipe on my blog a few years ago and decided to revisit with fresh new pictures and a video tutorial. This recipe is my grandmother’s. She passed away in 2011, 2 weeks before I started this food blog. I dedicated my 1st cookbook to her. Full of energy and the creator of the best homemade pie crust on earth, she would be in her 90s today. St. Patrick’s Day is her birthday.
Irish Soda Bread is a Quick Bread
Does the thought of homemade bread send you running for the hills? Sometimes homemade bread feels daunting, but you’re in luck today. Irish soda bread is a quick bread made with baking soda, not yeast. Like my easy no yeast bread, this is a shortcut bread that doesn’t skimp on flavor. (If you want a yeast bread, I recommend my sandwich bread recipe!)
- What’s the texture like? The best Irish soda bread, like this recipe, has a golden brown crust with a dense, tight crumb. The bread isn’t heavy, it’s actually quite tender and soft inside. The crust is nice and crisp when it comes out of the oven and becomes a little chewy on day 2 and 3. It’s so good.
My grandmother’s Irish soda bread contains some sugar, but it’s not overly sweet. It’s a wonderful companion for savory dinners like hearty stew or you can serve it with butter, jam, and/or cheese. The raisins are optional, but Grandma would never let you skip them.
Video Tutorial: Homemade Irish Soda Bread
Overview: How to Make Irish Soda Bread
The full printable recipe is below. Irish soda bread dough comes together in about 10 minutes. You need buttermilk, egg, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and butter.
- Whisk buttermilk and 1 egg together. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl.
- Cut cold butter into the flour mixture. Like scones and pie crust, cutting cold butter into the flour is a key step. Coating the flour in cold butter guarantees a lovely flaky texture. You can use a fork, your hands, or a pastry cutter. Add the wet ingredients.
- Bring the dough together with your hands. Using a very sharp knife, score the dough. This allows the center to bake.
- Bake until golden brown.
Buttermilk is the Secret
Irish soda bread only requires a few ingredients, including buttermilk. Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to provide the bread’s leavening. It also adds wonderful flavor! We use buttermilk for the same reasons in my regular no yeast bread, too.
Feel free to Skip the Egg
Irish soda bread can be made with or without an egg. 1 egg adds richness and density. Feel free to skip it to make a slightly lighter loaf. No other changes necessary, simply leave out the egg.
3 Success Tips
- Don’t over-work the dough. It’s supposed to look a little shaggy.
- Score the top of the dough with an “X” before baking. This helps the center bake through.
- You can bake Irish soda bread on a baking sheet, in a baking pan, or in a cast iron skillet. I recommend a cast iron skillet because it helps guarantee a super crispy crust. Here’s how to keep your cast iron cookware seasoned.
If you’re baking for St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll love my Guinness Brownies, Baileys and Coffee Cupcakes, Guinness Chocolate Cake, Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes, Lucky Charms Treats, and shamrock St. Patrick’s Day Cookies, too.
Print
Grandma’s Irish Soda Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that does not require any yeast. Instead, all of its leavening comes from baking soda and buttermilk. This Irish Soda Bread recipe is my grandmother’s and has been cherished in my family for years. It’s dense, yet soft and has the most incredible crusty exterior.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) buttermilk*
- 1 large egg (optional, see note)
- 4 and 1/4 cups (531g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for your hands and counter
- 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed*
- optional: 1 cup (150g) raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven & pan options: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). There are options for the baking pan. Use a regular baking sheet and line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (bread spreads a bit more on a baking sheet), or use a seasoned 10-12 inch cast iron skillet (no need to preheat the cast iron unless you want to), or grease a 9-10 inch cake pan or pie dish. You can also use a 5 quart (or higher) dutch oven. Grease or line with parchment paper. If using a dutch oven, bake the bread with the lid off.
- Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Set aside. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. Mixture is very heavy on the flour, but do your best to cut in the butter until the butter is pea-sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture. Gently fold the dough together until dough it is too stiff to stir. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can, then knead for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet/pan. Using a very sharp knife or bread lame, score the dough with a slash or X about 1/2 inch deep. (“Score” = shallow cut.)
- Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45-55 minutes. Loosely tent the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F (90°C).
- Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads.
- Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. We usually wrap it tightly in aluminum foil for storing.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled bread freezes well up to 3 months. Freeze the whole loaf or individual slices. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Cast Iron Skillet, 9-Inch Round Cake Pan, 9-Inch Pie Dish, Dutch Oven, or Baking Sheet with Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Instant Read Thermometer
- Baking Pan: There are options for the baking pan (see Special Tools Note above). You can use a lined large baking sheet (with or without a rim), a seasoned 10-12 inch cast iron skillet, or a greased or lined 9-10 inch cake pan or pie dish. I don’t recommend a loaf pan because the loaf may not bake evenly inside. This dough is best as a flatter loaf.
- Buttermilk: Using cold buttermilk is best. Buttermilk is key to the bread’s flavor, texture, and rise. The bread will not rise without it. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can make a homemade “DIY” version. Whole milk or 2% milk is best, though lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch. Add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough cold milk to make 1 and 3/4 cups. Whisk together, then let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
- Egg: 1 egg adds richness and density. Feel free to skip it to make a slightly lighter loaf. No other changes necessary, simply leave out the egg.
- Cold Butter: The colder the butter, the less sticky the dough will be. Make sure it’s very cold, even frozen cubed butter is great.
- Smaller Loaves: You can divide this dough up to make smaller loaves. The bake time will be shorter, depending how large the loaves are. An instant read thermometer will be especially helpful. Bake the loaves until an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F (90°C).
Am anxious to try! Could I use the food processor to mix the dough? Thank you.
Hi JML, we recommend using a pastry cutter, forks, or even your fingers. A food processor will quickly overwork your dough, though can work in a pinch.
Thank you for sharing this special recipe! It was delicious!
easy, sweet, perfect for St. Patrick’s day! We loved it.
This recipe was a hit!!!
What is the serving size beyond loaf?
Love this bread. Made it for a second time for a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Dinner for 40 people. People loved it. Question: can I cook 2 loaves at a time without adversely effecting the outcome.
Hi Linda, that should be fine – it may take a little longer in the oven. The bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F (90°C).
This is usually my go to recipe! The only hiccup I’ve encountered is the cooking time says 45-55 mins here (I know every oven is different) but there’s just no way this bread cooks that fast it’s a dense bread. I usually cook it for like 60-75 mins and cover it around 55 with aluminum so it doesn’t darken too much. I also like it quite sweet so I use heaping tbsp of sugar instead of leveled.
Thank you for the recipe! Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Fabulous! My husband said it’s the best soda bread he’s ever tasted. We opted in for the egg & the raisins, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
If I only have salted butter would I not add the extra salt?
Hi B, if you use salted butter you may wish to slightly reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe.
Great on the first try, easy to follow recipe. Sweet enough with the minimal sugar and raisins, dense but not dry. Loved it. Thanks again!
I don’t really know anything about the science of baking, so I’m just curious how this recipe is different from biscuits? I make those at home and use all the same ingredients (minus the egg). Flour, buttermilk, baking soda, salt, butter. Is it just a matter of different ratios?
Hi Liza, correct—it’s different ratios of ingredients, but also a different preparation method. When making biscuits, we fold the dough several times to help create all those nice flaky layers in the baked biscuits. This bread still has a lovely flaky texture, but not quite to the same level as biscuits!
Hands down, the best version! The egg really helps keep this moist! Honestly, didn’t think I liked soda bread until I had this one. I like to soak the raisins we add dried cranberries too) in a bit of hot water and then drain before adding. I couldn’t believe how good this stayed on day 2! My whole family devoured it. Good tip re: taking the temperature to ensure doneness.
I made this today on St. Patrick’s day! I did need to add more flour as dough was very sticky but perhaps because I used a buttermilk substitute; however, it came out great and tasted delicious! Thank you for sharing your Mom’s recipe.
My new favoriteSoda already recipe. Crispy crust, tender slightly sweet inside. Perfect with a cuppa tea.
How to see all the Reviews. The soda bread have over 900 reviews, but I could only see the 23 most recent. Is it possible to read through more reviews. Thank you.
Hi Pat, at the top of the page you’ll see a pink tab that says “comments”. If you click on that, it will take you to all of the reviews. When you scroll down to the last review that you can see, there are more than 20 more pages of comments that you can see. Hope that helps!
Only half of this bread will make it to dinner. My taste testers are overachievers. So easy and delicious.
Maybe a dumb question, do you preheat the pan?
Hi Susanne, you don’t have to!
Clear instructions. It’s in the oven as we speak. Dough wasn’t wanting to fold nicely, had creases. Scored and into the oven. I think it’ll be fine, especially after drinking a few Guinness while she cooks.
Superb! I had difficulty kneading at the last bit and was worried it bread wasn’t going to turn out, but I am so glad to be proven wrong. I just sliced myself a piece and I am in heaven. My dad asked me to make sure I have this recipe saved and printed for frequent, future use. Thanks so much!
I did not like this bread one tiny tadge. If I ever attempt it again, it would be with twice as much sugar and NO raisins! Maybe with Craisins and some walnuts?????
The recipe is a keeper. Made it this morning. It was so easy to make. I did lower the oven temperature to 350 towards the end and baked it 10 minutes longer.My family just tried it. Delicious!
Great recipe, easy to make and delicious! I will be saving this one!
Making this today. Do you think that adding caraway seeds and raisins would be too much?
Hi Chad, caraway seeds are a great addition! Enjoy.
Worst recipe I have ever used. An entire extra cup of flour and it’s still was so sticky it wouldn’t come off the board or my hands. Threw it away.. what a waste.
I just made a beautiful loaf. Might need to check your measurements. I follow the recipe to the letter and it has turned out perfect every time. It’s not the recipe.
Couldn’t be easier or tastier- wonderful recipe. Shared with family for “the” holiday and it was a big hit!!☘️
Hello can I add chocolate chips instead of raisins?
Hi Antonella, you can use chocolate chips instead of raisins! Same amount.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Can I substitute dried cranberries for the raisins?
Hi Lily, sure can!
First try came out good but I was very surprised at how wet the dough was., nearly an 80% hydration which made it very sticky. I kept on adding flour and probably added too much by the way it tastes but it was still good.
Directions clear and easy to follow. Used cast iron. Cooked through in time suggested. Crunchy outside and bottom too. Very dense inside but wife says it’s proper. Just out of the oven, not much flavor…a hint of the sugar and the rest is all about the raisins. When toasted, with butter, it’s better. Someone suggested jalapeños! I’ll try that next time.
My Mom also put caraway seed in hers. I think it is 1 or 2 teaspoons. Also try adding a half cup or so of currents. It takes it to the next level.
Yikes, I always add a heaping TBL in mine!