With this Irish Soda bread, there’s no need to knead! (see what I did there!). Maybe a little, but right in the bowl! And no yeast. This is what you call a quick bread, or you can also call it the best Irish Soda Bread you’ll ever eat! Very easy to do, don’t be afraid. It makes two good-sized loaves, so you can give one away to your favorite neighbor.
“Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan; if you can’t make boxty, you’ll never get a man.”
An Irish rhyme handed down from mother to daughter in the northern counties of Ireland
There are probably as many ‘authentic’ Irish Soda Bread recipes as their are old grand. But I don’t add caraway or raisins to my Irish Soda Bread, which makes it American Soda Bread I suppose! I like mine pure and plain. Some nice additions to your lovely freshly baked delicious bread could be:
- Irish butter or use our delicious local butter from Hope
- Irish cheese, like Dubliner or Skellig
- Fig jam or honey and goat cheese
- This soda bread makes the best toast ever, ever!
This recipe is as close as I could come to ‘cracking the code’ on some of the breads I ate in Ireland. I wonder if I’ve ever told you it’s my favorite place on the planet? 🙂 Like in a heartbeat, I’d move there, and never look back kind of favorite place!
How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? I’d love to hear your traditions. Don’t forget, everyone’s Irish on Paddy’s Day!
Irish Soda Bread
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
- Total Time: 60-70 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Breads
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
This Irish Soda Bread is best fresh the first day, then I usually relegate it to the toaster for the best toast ever! You can’t lose with this one. Try making croutons, even better. Yum!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour*
- 2 cups (240g) unbleached white flour*
- 1/3 cup (70g) brown sugar (or 1/4 cup honey)
- 2 teaspoons (12g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
- 1/2 cup oats (50g) (+ extra for sheet pan)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon (6g) kosher salt (affiliate link)*
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 – 2 cups (285-450mL) buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons butter (melted)
Extras: whisk together the following for extra pretty loaves
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚. Line a rimmed baking sheet (affiliate link) with parchment paper (affiliate link) and sprinkle with a little extra oatmeal.
- In a large bowl mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, soda, oatmeal, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and butter (if using honey versus brown sugar, mix it with the wet ingredients). Add the wet to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until moistened.
- Add extra flour as needed and knead for 5 turns (right in the bowl, just to bring it all together in a dough mass) then shape dough into 2 or 3 round loaves using more flour as necessary, and place on a rimmed baking sheet (affiliate link). Cut the sign of the cross on top of each loaf with a sharp and/or serrated knife. Bake until brown and crusty, 45-50 minutes.
- You will know it’s ready when you thump the bottom of the load, it should have a hollow sound and/or registers 200 degrees on a digital instant read thermometer (affiliate link). Let cool for a bit on a wire rack, then serve with some Irish butter and Irish cheese, or your favorite jam.
Extras:
- If you want to make a REALLY beautiful Irish Soda Bread loaf, brush the top with the egg mixture and sprinkle with some more oats, then cut the cross in the loaf.
- *If you have white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, you can use 4 cups of either of those instead of the combination. It’s one of my favorite flours, all the fiber and nutrition of whole wheat, but a much milder taste. I use it for everything! Cookies too!
Notes
*I use Diamond Kosher Salt (affiliate link) in most of my recipes. There are many different types of kosher salt (affiliate link), and regular salt. If using table salt, use half the amount called for in a recipe.
Why do you make the sign of the cross in the loaf? Well, the Irish will say you are blessing the bread, which I suppose you are. But the real reason is that most free form breads, when baked develop their lovely crust, but if you don’t make some intentional cuts in it, it will do it on its own. Not always in the most attractive way. So it’s a way to manage that. But let’s just say it’s for some good Irish luck!
This bread is terrific using local flours from Sunrise Flour Mill. Their flours are organic, heritage wheat and amazing, It’s milled right up in sunny North Branch, Minnie. You can order it from the Sunrise Flour website or in many co-ops and health food stores in the area.
Please note that all brands of flour are different; some are thirstier than others. That’s why there is a big difference in the quantity of buttermilk. Add 1-1/2 cups to start, and add more if you need it.
Sláinte!
SaveSave
Irish Soda Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
- Category: Breads
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
This Irish soda bread is best fresh on the first day, and then I usually relegate it to the toaster for the best toast ever! You can’t lose with this one. Try making croutons, even better. Yum!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour*
- 2 cups (240g) unbleached white flour*
- 1/3 cup (70g) brown sugar (or 1/4 cup honey)
- 2 teaspoons (12g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
- 1/2 cup oats (50g) (+ extra for sheet pan)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon (6g) kosher salt (affiliate link)*
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups (285-450mL) buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚. Line a rimmed baking sheet (affiliate link) with parchment paper (affiliate link) and sprinkle with some extra oats.
- In a large bowl mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, soda, oatmeal, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and butter (if using honey versus brown sugar, mix it with the wet ingredients). Add the wet to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until moistened.
- Add extra flour as needed and knead for 5 turns (right in the bowl, just to bring it all together in a dough mass). Then, shape the dough into 2 or 3 round loaves using more flour as necessary and place them on a rimmed baking sheet (affiliate link). Cut the sign of the cross on top of each loaf with a sharp and/or serrated knife. Bake until brown and crusty, 45-50 minutes.
- You will know it’s ready when you thump the bottom of the load; it should have a hollow sound and/or register 195° on a digital instant-read thermometer (affiliate link). Let cool for a bit on a wire rack, then serve with some Irish butter and Irish cheese or your favorite jam.
Notes
*I use Diamond Kosher Salt (affiliate link) in most of my recipes. There are many different types of kosher salt , and regular salt. If using table salt, use half the amount called for in a recipe.
Why do you make the sign of the cross in the loaf? Well, the Irish will say you are blessing the bread and letting out all the fairies! :), which I suppose you are. But the real reason is that most free-form breads, when baked, develop their lovely crust. But if you don’t make some intentional cuts in it, it will do it on its own—not always in the most attractive way. So it’s a way to manage that. But let’s just say it’s for some good Irish luck!
Best bread ever! And so easy!!