Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe (2024)

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This traditional Soda Bread Recipe is SO easy to make (no major kneading or rising) and goes perfectly with a hearty beef or lamb stew, as well as a wonderful complement to a hearty soup!

Step-by-step photos and instructions are below!

I’ll use any excuse to make homemade bread, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) or not! This bread is SO easy and makes a really great addition to any kind of stew or soup recipe. A thick chunk of bread always screams “comfort” to me.

Because it takes no time to rise like a yeast bread, you can have this bread made in under an hour. That’s kind of awesome, don’t you think!?

Everyone needs a good soda bread recipe, and this is mine!

Irish Soda Bread history

Back in the “old days” when money was tight and ingredients hard to come by, traditional Irish Bread was born out of need.

Making bread with available and affordable ingredients was the main motivation. Most people had access to “soft” wheat flour (lower in gluten – ie, cake flour), baking soda, salt and soured milk. Soured milk was used because of the high acidity – these days of course, we use buttermilk! I use baking

This is a great recipe for anyone who wants to try their hand at soda bread!

Check out my Irish Nachos for another fun recipe to make to celebrate!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Basic ingredients, that you likely already have at home.
• This is a pretty fool proof bread. It’s an easy quick bread recipe that is hard to mess up! Make sure you have fresh ingredients (there’s nothing like stale baking soda to mess up your soda bread).
• This is a no knead, no rise bread. Just mix, shape and bake.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to serve with Irish Soda Bread

Pretty much anything. Depending on if you use raisins or not, this hearty bread goes well with beef or lamb stew, with a little butter spread on, or dunked in soup.

Personally, I like to eat it for breakfast slathered with salty Irish butter, along with a cup of tea.

I have included step-by-step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.

• Cast iron skillet. You can use a sheet pan if you don’t have a skillet.
• Large mixing bowl for the dry ingredients.
• Large jug for liquids.

How to make this recipe

Get prepped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a skillet or baking sheet and set aside.

Make the dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda until well combined.

Use a pastry cutter or large fork to incorporate the cold butter into the flour mixture until well-distributed and dry ingredients resemble clumpy sand.

Stir in the raisins and set aside.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, beat together the buttermilk and egg until well-combined.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk-egg mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you’re unable to stir anymore, then use your hands to continue kneading the dough, at least 2 minutes until no longer sticky and the dough forms a cohesiveball.

(Avoid adding more flour to the dough for at least a minute – it will be sticky at first but should become less sticky with kneading.)

Cut and bake

Shape the dough lightly on a floured work surface, then place the ball of dough onto the prepared skillet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Use a sharp knife (a serrated knife) to cut a deep cross in the center of the dough to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 45 minutes (up to 55 minutes), until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If you tap the top of the bread and it gives a hollow sound, you know it’s done!

Set on a wire rack, until completely cooled before slicing.

More delicious bread recipes:

• Red Lobster Biscuits. Soft, fluffy biscuits packed with cheddar cheese, and brushed with flavorful garlic butter after baking, these cheddar biscuits are dreamy!
• Maple Oat Skillet Bread – A gorgeous loaf, with a delicious crumb! This Maple Oat Skillet Breadis hearty, delicious and perfect for toasting, sandwiches, or eating with soup. Perfect for Fall! Yum!
• Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls. Quick and easy to make, these deliciously softWhole Wheat Dinner Rollsmake the perfect amount for your family! They make a hearty side to any dinner. Yum!
• Fluffy Golden Skillet Cornbread – a cinch to make, and is afantastic side for any meal!
• 30 Minute Dinner Rolls – Make these dinner rolls from scratch in just about 30 minutes!! These are great for holidays, weeknights, basically – any time you need them. Using a stand mixer and simple ingredients, you can have these homemade rolls on the table FAST!!

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Update:This recipe was originally published in March of 2018. It was republished with updated photos in March of 2022.