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’d like to make a 9×5 bread. Do you think it’s large enough for the batter? Time suggestions?
Or, should I just go to TWO 8×4 pans.
What do you think?
Suggestions?
Hi Brenda, we don’t recommend a loaf pan because the loaf may not bake evenly inside. This dough is best as a flatter loaf. You can use a lined large baking sheet (with or without a rim), a seasoned 10- to 12-inch cast iron skillet, or a greased or lined 9- or 10-inch cake pan or pie dish.
Terrific with the raisins. Not as good without. So easy to make!
Can I use gluten free flour blend?
Hi Mondi, we haven’t tested this recipe with a gluten free flour blend, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do decide to try it.
Hmmm…turned out more like batter than dough. I threw it out.
It’s been years since I made Irish Soda Bread, it was a breakfast staple when I shared a house with a bunch of guys in college. I would bake and after the morning surf session we would dig in some with Vegemite others molasses. Looking foward to trying your recipe today, buttermilk is a great idea.
Hi Benny in Japan. I would like to make your raisin Irish bread . Just wondering if I can make in cast iron skillet
Hi Benny, absolutely! We prefer using a seasoned 10-12 inch cast iron skillet for this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Great and easy recipe for bread beginners. I noticed I had to increase the flower ratio due to the absence of adding raisins. I’m not a big raisin person. The bread baked perfect and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
I’ve made this recipe several times and it always turns out great. Will never use any other recipe. By far the best!! Thank you for sharing!
Hello, I love your recipe! Is it possible to make this into 2 loaves? If so, How long would they bake? Thank you!
Hi Lynn, We haven’t tried that before but it shouldn’t be a problem– however, we are not sure of the best bake time. It will likely be at least 30 minutes at the same oven temp. Bake until the bread rounds are golden brown and the top of the score looks cooked through.
The absolute best soda bread! My Irish friend introduced me to Irish soda bread buying it as a gift from her local Irish shop and I love it. I can’t buy it locally so decided to look for a recipe online. Having read your blurb I thought your’s would be good- it was amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful family recipe. It truly is the best I have ever tasted.
Have made this recipe multiple times
Not only is it
Foolproof, it’s DELICIOUS comes together
Easy and has a beautifully light tasty crumb
Excellent and so easy!
I have tried other recipes this one is the BOOM!!!
Soft tender and crumbly, and oh so DELISH!!! I didn’t add an egg and it came out great.
I will use this recipe from now on.
This is the best ever recipe for soda bread – and I’ve tried a lot. Every time I serve it, it gets rave reviews. The crumb is perfect. I’ve used Raisins, sultanas and currents will delicious results. The directions and tips are useful, sensible and helpful.
I make it with 2 1/4 cups of whole grain spelt and 2 cups of all purpose spelt and it is delicious and a beautiful colour. This is the best recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Funny how different recipes are. I make my grandmothers all the time and am often asked for the recipe. Her recipe example was add ‘some’ buttermilk. 2 cups of flour less a cup. Work in some margarine. I just do it by eye and could never write it down. It is a family favorite for sure.
Love this recipe, as I’ve made it several times.
Is possible to make the bread into muffins?
Hi Pia, We haven’t tested it, but other bakers have reported success baking individual servings in a muffin tin. Let us know if you give it a try!
I used dried cherries and a touch more sugar; people went wild for it! Wonderful recipe! Thanks so much Sally.
I’ve made the soda bread twice twice but the second time the outside seem dry and middle not cooked enough. What happened.
Hi Gail, did you score the bread deep enough? Score it a little deeper next time, to help the center cook a little better.
Excellent recipe! I have made it a few times and it disappears immediately. Makes great toast and do add a lot of butter and preserves. Delicious!!
I was asked to bring bread to a friend’s for her St. Patrick’s Day supper. I found your recipe and decided to try it. It is so easy to make and the bread was fantastic. I’m printing it now to add to my recipe collection. Thank you for sharing your family’s treasured recipe with others.
ONce again thiough Ilike the recipe I dowish that Anmericans would adopt the KILOGRAMME’GRAMME weighing system that the rest of the world uses. I find a’spoon of this or a cup of that afr tooimprecise for my tasyet.BUT i have found this exact recipe that purpts tobe’original ‘Just like ‘Gramdma’ used to make tha thas been converted as suggested . The Kilo’ method also cut’s out the confusion between US POUNDS/OUNCES and IMPERIAL POUNDS /OUNCES -not that the Imperial Pound is used these days and if it ist here’s usually a CONVERSION parentheses included
Can you direct me to the recipe for cookies made with cake mix?
Hi Patty, here’s our cake batter chocolate chip cookies recipe!
Has anyone tried using whole wheat flour? I used a mixture of 3 c. All purpose & 1 1/4 c whole wheat. Seemed denser & not as much flavor.
Hi Pat, whole wheat flour will yield a denser, dryer Irish soda bread. We recommend sticking with all purpose for this recipe!
I made this to go with my Beef in Guinness Stew. I left out the egg, and cut the recipe in half (because I was almost out of flour LOL) and it was the perfect accompaniment to the stew. Chewy and substantial but not overly heavy. I’ll be saving this recipe!
Is there any reasonas to why you cannot make a CHRISTMAS SODA BREAD?You know with all the spices, nuts and fruit?
We make this *all* the time. We are not a raisin-loving family, so I sub dried cranberries plumped up in orange juice and add zest from 1 or 2 oranges. Such an easy-to-make, delicious treat!
thanks for this suggestion Barbara. I was thinking about making it with cranberries and the orange juice/zest fits perfectly!!! I’ll definitely be trying your version.
So good and makes the best toast too!
This came out perfectly! It looked like a picture and tasted delicious. We ate every crumb and will make it again and again. Love this recipe, Sally. Thanks for sharing it.
Made this to go along with Irish Stew. Went together quickly and shaggy. Kinda forgot it in the oven; was in about 52 min, crust more brown than I wanted. Was delicious, nice crumb. Buttermilk & butter right from freezer must’ve been the key
I was not prepared for how incredibly delicious this bread is! It exceeded all expectations I had and is easily one of the best breads I have ever made. The recipe was so simple and easy to follow, and I loved how quickly it came together. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe!
Me, too! So yummy!
I am surprised that the recipe doesn’t call for baking powder as well. All the recipies I have seen call for both B powder and B soda.
I can’t wait to make this! A good friend used to have an incredible soda bread recipe that sounds like this one! I remember she sprinkled sugar on top too!