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Home » Popular » Bread & Yeast Breads » Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

By: Rosemary Published: January 24, 2020 Updated on: July 4, 2021

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Irish Soda Bread is a yeast free bread ready in 45 minutes. The perfect addition to any delicious Soup or Stew.

My family loves to eat this bread with a Heart Beef Stew or one of our favourite Chickpea Soups.

irish soda bread and 2 slices

Last Fall my eldest daughter, my sister and I went on a 3 day visit to Dublin Ireland. I have always wanted to go and discover a part of my roots.

Yes it as Green as they say! And who can resist that accent? Even before we arrived, my daughter was raving about Irish Soda Bread and how good it was and we just had to try it.

So try it we did. I ordered a traditional Irish Stew and naturally it was served with a couple of slices of Irish Soda Bread.

Ireland
Rock of Cashel – Ireland

Yup, she was right, so good, I could have made a meal just out of the bread! I knew there were only a few ingredients, 5 ingredients to be exact in this no yeast Bread.

So after searching a bit on line I discovered a simple and easy recipe by non other than Gordon Ramsay. One of the main ingredients is Buttermilk, and since there is no buttermilk available in Italy, I would have to make my own.

Irish Soda Bread how to make mixing the dough and ready to bake
Mixing the Dough and Ready to bake

Table of Contents

  • How to Make a Substitute for Buttermilk
  • How to Store Irish Soda Bread
      • Never Miss a Recipe!
  • How to eat it
  • How to make the Best Irish Soda Bread
  • How to tell if Baking Soda is still Active
  • How to Tell when the Bread is done
  • Irish Soda Bread
    • Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1x2x3x
    • Instructions 
    • Notes
    • Nutrition

How to Make a Substitute for Buttermilk

When you buy store bought buttermilk you will notice how thick it is, your Homemade Substitute will not be that thick, although it will work just as well.

In order to make the homemade as thick as possible you can either use whole milk or what I did was, I used 2% milk and a couple of tablespoons of whole cream.

Irish soda bread baked on a white paper

How to Store Irish Soda Bread

This is a smaller loaf so it pretty well gets eaten up in one sitting between 3-4 people. If you do have left overs be sure to wrap the extra bread in plastic and place in an airtight bag. It should keep for up to 3 or 4 days.

Irish Soda Bread can also be frozen, be sure to wrap in plastic and again place in an airtight bag, it will keep in the freezer for at least 2-3 months.

irish beer draft and guinness on a table
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    You can’t go to Ireland with a tour and sample at the Guinness Brewery

    up close Irish Soda Bread

    How to eat it

    I love to serve this bread with a Hearty Sausage Stew or this delicious 2 Bean Soup, or you could even toast it and eat it for breakfast with a little butter and jam.

    up close 2 slices of Irish soda bread

    How to make the Best Irish Soda Bread

    • Start by making sure your Baking soda is active. Baking soda usually lasts about 9 – 12 months although some recommend changing after 6 months.
    • Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
    • Add the buttermilk and mix with a fork.
    • Then move the mixture to a lightly floured surface, knead for about 30 seconds and form into a round loaf.
    • Place on a lightly greased pizza or cookie pan and bake.
    • Eat it warm and fresh out of the oven!

    How to tell if Baking Soda is still Active

    Mix half a cup of hot water with 1 teaspoon of baking powder, if it bubbles it’s good, if not, throw it out and buy a new box!

    How to Tell when the Bread is done

    Remove the bread from the oven, turn it over and tap it on the bottom, if you hear a hollow sound it’s done.

    I hope you enjoy this Irish Soda Bread as much as we did! Buon Appetito.

    Irish soda bread and 2 slices on a white board
    irish soda bread and 2 slices

    Irish Soda Bread

    Rosemary Molloy
    Irish Soda Bread is a yeast free bread ready in 45 minutes. The perfect addition to a delicious Soup or Stew.
    4.60 from 10 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 35 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Bread and Pizza, Breakfast, Snack
    Cuisine Irish
    Servings 1 loaf
    Calories 1077 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 13 tablespoons buttermilk* (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon)

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat oven to 375F (190C). Lightly grease a small cookie sheet.
    • In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt, then add the buttermilk and mix together with a fork until almost combined.
    • Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and knead for 30 seconds only, form into an oval loaf (about 8 inches / 20 cm wide) place on prepared cookie sheet. And score the loaf with a deep cross with a serrated knife.
    • Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until bread is done. Serve warm. Enjoy!

    Notes

    *To make a homemade buttermilk substitute – place 13 tablespoons of whole milk in a bowl add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar let stand 10-15 minutes then stir to combine. Or place 11-12 tablespoons of 2% milk and add 1-2 tablespoons of whole or whipping cream. Stir to combine then add the 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1077kcalCarbohydrates: 212gProtein: 32gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 1920mgPotassium: 531mgFiber: 7gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 322IUCalcium: 263mgIron: 12mg
    Keyword Irish bread, Irish Soda Bread, no yeast bread
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      1. Anastasia says

        January 25, 2023 at 3:22 am

        Making Irish soda bread with a variant waiting to see how it turns out. Excited, I just put it in the oven

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          January 25, 2023 at 9:29 am

          Hi Anastasia, let me know how it went. Take care!

          Reply
      2. Michelle says

        April 7, 2021 at 1:39 am

        5 stars
        Easy and delicious! I have stopped buying loaves of bread at the store. I normally double this recipe, serve it with a family meal then use the leftovers for toast for the rest of the week.

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          April 7, 2021 at 4:44 pm

          Hi Michelle, thanks so much, so glad you and your family like the recipe. Take care.

          Reply
      3. geo says

        March 4, 2021 at 11:05 pm

        4 stars
        This was easy and has a nice crunchy crust, just maybe a little too dense. Great warm with butter , cinnamon and sugar.

        Reply
      4. Barbara says

        January 25, 2021 at 10:56 pm

        Can you add raisins to this?

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          January 26, 2021 at 8:28 am

          Hi Barbara yes you can, add them when the dough is almost combined and gently knead it all together, I wouldn’t add too many maybe 1/4 cup to start. Let me know how it goes.

          Reply
      5. AP says

        November 27, 2020 at 7:33 pm

        3 stars
        Recipe seems easy enough so I’m not sure what I did wrong but it came out quite doughy on the inside (almost gluey) and very hard on the outside. I made buttermilk using milk and lemon juice (I used 2% lactose free milk). Everything else I followed exactly. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          November 27, 2020 at 7:39 pm

          Hi AP it could be a couple of reasons, your oven temperature could be off or your baking soda was no longer active. Let me know.

          Reply
          • AP says

            November 29, 2020 at 7:01 pm

            Rise was okay, the texture was just off. I checked the baking soda as indicated and it bubbled. The oven was also set to 375F. I can’t post a picture here but I posted one on the Pinterest pin, maybe visualizing it will help the troubleshooting? Thank you so much for all your help!

          • Rosemary says

            November 30, 2020 at 12:19 pm

            Hi AP it actually looks pretty good, soda bread doesn’t have a great shape it kind of a rustic bread. If you find it didn’t cook enough inside, you could cover the top with foil and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes. Hope that helps.

      6. Ian R says

        May 14, 2020 at 7:18 pm

        4 stars
        Scrumptious. I am lockdown in Lima, Peru and don’t even know if they have buttermilk here, so I substituted soy milk and lime juice to make buttermilk. Same measure of milk with 1/3 tsp lime juice; mix and leave for at least 5 minutes. When it curdles, mix angling and use as substitute for buttermilk.

        Reply
      7. Jaybird says

        May 13, 2020 at 7:35 pm

        For those of us who can’t seem to keep count before getting distracted and losing count, 13 tbsp is equal to 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp! I about drove myself crazy trying to remember how many I had already counted 🤣

        Reply
        • KD says

          March 11, 2021 at 4:53 pm

          Thank you, I always have such a hard time keeping track of how much I’ve already added.

          Reply
      8. Elyce says

        October 18, 2019 at 2:59 am

        5 stars
        Just put this bread in the oven, can’t wait to see how it comes out. Nothing beats homemade fresh bread!!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          October 18, 2019 at 5:08 pm

          Hi Elyce, thanks so much I hope you enjoy it. Have a great weekend.

          Reply
      9. Matt says

        March 8, 2019 at 10:27 pm

        5 stars
        This is perfect timing. I was back in Dublin last week, grabbing my fill of soda bread and trying to explain to the Sicilian other half, via WhatsApp, why its the best bread in the world. I promised to find a recipe so `I could make it for him, and then, hey presto – yours pops up! Thank you

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          March 10, 2019 at 12:05 pm

          Hi Matt, thanks so glad to help and I agree, I couldn’t enough of it either. I loved Ireland too. Have a great Sunday.

          Reply

      Hi, I'm Rosemary.

      Living in Italy I learned to cook authentic Italian dishes using whole ingredients, fresh veggies and delicious spices. So take a seat and have a taste! Read More

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