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, honey 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. If you’re interested, I have plenty more on this topic in my Baking with Buttermilk post (including a DIY buttermilk substitute recipe).
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 | Bread Lame | 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 buttermilk substitute. 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).
Reader Comments and Reviews
I have made several recipes of Irish Soda Bread as well as purchased from a bakery, and this is the best I’ve ever eaten! My husband loved it and said, “Don’t lose that recipe!”
So so good! Appreciate the tip tp bake it in a cast iron pan….it came out with a perfect crunchy top and moist inside! My son said it was the best one I’ve ever baked!
I added 3 more tbsp of sugar and used dried cranberries. It was probably my best Irish soda bread effort yet. Thank you for your recipe.
It’s in the oven as I write this.. the house smells so wonderful I hope it turns out. I didn’t have enough all purpose flour so I used 2 cups whole wheat flour. Not sure how it will turn out but it formed well and I put it in a cast iron skillet. When it’s done I’ll let y’all know how it tastes. In honor of my Irish ancestors I hope I made it okay
My first Irish Soda Bread was a huge hit! I made it in honour of St. Patrick’s Day Thankyou for this great recipe. I use your recipes often and have never had a failure. Love the detailed instructions
I will try it. 60 years ago, in Huntington NY, there was a Club of Irish people who had some land and raced dogs. The local children would come and the participants would often share their food with the children. It was my first experience with Irish Soda Bread, and they sure did spoil my dinner at home since I had a full tummy.
Just made this recipe exited to see how the bread tastes!!
Did not care for this at all. Very dry and tasteless. Sorry. I was hoping for something special for the family. Even jelly didn’t help.
I loved this recipe. Had a little extra flour so added it. Used instant milk, a little extra butter, 2 eggs to compensate for extra. Baked in round cake pan. Is socrispy outside, tender Inside
Found this recipe last year and made it again this year. It’s so delicious! Thank you for sharing your grandmother’s recipe. ❤
This recipe was great! Made it several times this year and it turned out perfect. Well received by my family as well.
I have mde this twice now and it is so dense !! I am sure it’s my fault .. the taste is good but its so heavy ?? I feel like the kind you buy in bakery or store feels more spongy ? Lighter – almost brioche / challah like ???
Hi Meredith, this is definitely a dense, but soft bread. It won’t have the same texture as a yeasted bread.
I had baked this bread twice, today and both times it came out overdone and dry, evem regardless of tenting. I also had to leave it in the oven for well over an hour before the internal temperature was anywhere near high enough. I wonder if the temperature, at 400, is too high, since I also experienced the crust bursting open. I have a similar soda bread recipe that has a bake temp of 325 for 90 mins, which does tend to come out better. I understand that all ovens are different, but this seems high.
Absolutely delectable! This was a buttery and rich bread. Served right out of the oven with butter! Yum!
Hey Sally! Love this recipe and make it every year! If I was going to make this into individual sized roll portions, how many do you think I could get from this 1 yield loaf amount?
Hi Maddie, you can divide this dough into smaller loaves (yield really depends on how small/large you make the individual rolls). The bake time will be shorter, depending how large the rolls/loaves are. See recipe Note.
I’ve been using this recipe for the past few years and it always comes out perfectly! So much so that my family now asks me to make them loaves each St. Patty’s day. My question is – has anyone tried to make the dough a day in advance? I’m working with limited time so I’m hoping to make the dough the day before and then bake on St. Patty’s day so they’re fresh.
Hi Victoria, so glad you love this! You can shape the dough and store it in the refrigerator (covered) for a day. Shouldn’t be a problem.
This was so delicious, and the family loved it! The only very slight variation for me is that I was able to get the dough to come together stirring with a wooden spoon in the large mixing bowl I was using, without kneading. I was trying to avoid the extra counter and hands mess 😉 Also, I have a convection oven, so it only took just under 40 minutes to bake in a 9 3/4-inch deep pie dish.
I love this it smell so good when baking and taste so good
I love this recipe. Came out fantastic. Thank you!
Can I use turbinado sugar?
Hi Jane, for best taste and texture, we recommend sticking with regular granulated sugar in this recipe.
can caraway seeds be added to this recipe
Absolutely!
Hi! Wondering if I could make this into rolls/smaller loaves? Was hoping to gift some. Thank you!
Hi Katharine, you can divide this dough into smaller loaves. The bake time will be shorter, depending how large the loaves are. See recipe Note.
I would love to have your pie crust recipe.
Hi Judy, here is our favorite buttery flaky pie crust recipe. We do have an all-butter pie crust recipe, too!
Can I use the food processor to cut in the butter? It works well with pie crust.
Hi Ellen, 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.
I made a mistake and added the butter melted and it still worked out great (and a lot less workout)
Hello! I am confused about the flour conversion from cups to grams. I always weigh my ingredients. My King Arthur flour weighs 30 grams per 1/4 cup, so should I use 510 grams of flour? I tried this recipe yesterday and it was so sticky I threw out the dough and am trying again. Yesterday I used the 531 grams of flour. I am assuming that my problem yesterday was my butter was not cold enough, today I am putting it in the freezer. Thanks for the help. (I hadn’t read the comments before trying – I now realize that the dough is quite sticky).
Hi Michelle, the dough can be sticky. Make sure the butter is extra cold. I use King Arthur flour as well, and even though the bag says 30g per 1/4 cup, mine always seems to weigh more when I spoon and level it. I recommend the gram weights given in this recipe.
My dough was also very wet using 531g of flour. When I saw the consistency, I weighted a cup of flour (mine is King Arthur organic), it was 149 so roughly 150g since cup are so unprecise. This is a great reminder why I don’t like to use recipes in cups.. I added a lot of flour and hoping I will get something decent.
I followed this recipe carefully. Trust the recipe!
Sifted flour into cup measure.
I made one change and added an extra 1/2 tsp of soda. And I added optional raisins and egg, with the buttermilk.
I made it in a food processor. It was a very sticky dough. I didn’t add any additional flour, but used a spatula to scrape out the bowl. I placed it in a cast iron pan lined with a circle of parchment. I used wet hands and a wet knife to shape then mark the top. I checked the bread after 30 mins. It looked done but needed another 7 mins. to finish cooking in the middle.
Best soda bread I’ve ever had.
Can the Irish Soda Bread recipe be made with Cultured Buttermilk?
Yes.
Followed the recipe exactly and baked it in 12” cast iron fry pan. Temperature was 191* when I tested it. PERFECT! Served it with honey butter. Our dinner guests were very pleased! I will definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe!
Followed the recipe exactly, weighing the flour. Baked in the larger part of a Lodge Combo Pan, dusting the bottom with cornmeal and putting in a piece of parchment paper. The bottom was a lovely golden brown. The bread was perfectly done at 55′, internal temp 192°, crust crunchy. Thanks!
Excellent! Follower the recipe exact. Cooked in a 12 inch Dutch oven. Sally’s recipes are always great!
Tried this recipe to take to my cousin’s house for a St Patrick’s Day dinner. So easy and it turned out great! They liked it so much I left the rest of the loaf with them! My husband was upset that we didn’t get the leftovers so I am making it again for him right now! Also I didn’t have enough regular raisins so added some golden raisins and it was still fabulous!!