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
First time & it turned out perfect. I didn’t have buttermilk so had to use the vinegar trick. Did not put in egg, did use sugar. I cooked in a cast iron skillet and put foil on top at about 20 minutes. It was a perfect color and tasted great. Looking forward to having some in the morning with jam. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this terrific recipe for Irish soda bread. I’ve made it numerous times before but this recipe is fantastic. I added craisins along with raisins to the dough. I made it for tonight’s St. Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. I plan on slicing the leftover loaf for tomorrow morning’s French toast. Perfect combination. Thank you and this recipe has been added to my collection.
Perfection!! Sally’s Baking Addiction is my first (and only!) stop for my baking needs – Thanks!
I love your recipes, Sally! But this one didn’t go well for me. I extended the baking time as the dough did not bake in the middle. It was quite wet when I was preparing, and even after adding a lot of flour it still hasn’t cooked through! Tented, but outside very brown and inside undercooked.
I never comment but this was a great recipe. To anyone who reads this after the fact learn from my error! Knead in the butter with your fingers BEFORE adding the raisins. Hard to feel the butter clumps among all the raisins.
Made it tonight in my Grandmother’s cast iron pan & didn’t skip the raisins 😉
Delicious! Thank you for sharing your Grandmother’s recipe.
The best recipe I’ve made. I did not use the egg and it was perfect.
Just made this for an Irish meal at a friend’s house. It was delicious! Dense and moist inside with crusty exterior… fabulous with butter! My friend had bought Irish soda bread from publix… compared… publix was dry and not much flavor. This recipe is so easy as well!
Once again, Sally came through! Everything I try from this website turns out beautifully!!
St. Patrick’s Day is also our wedding anniversary. I made soda bread to go with our corned beef & cabbage dinner. We forgot to buy the raisins so I used dried currants & chopped dates. Baked it in a cast iron Dutch oven. OH MY GOSH!!! So amazing!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
I agree. Everything I’ve tried from Sally’s website is spot on!
Is this recipe for one or two loaves? see someone’s comment, I should have devided it in two. Her bottom was burned.
Thank you
Happy Birthday to your Grandmother — thank you for such a great recipe! I halved everything and ended up with one beautiful, delicious loaf. I used cranberries instead of currants and sour cream in place of buttermilk as that was what I had in the kitchen, omitted the egg, added 1/2 TBSP of caraway seeds and baked on parchment for 40 minutes. I can’t believe how simple it was to make yet tasted and looked so amazing, will be making this every year from now on 🙂
After searching for a soda bread recipe today I found my way to this site. I must say that this bread was truly outstanding. The inside is rich and dense and the top was very crusty. So glad I found this, no need to look for one next year!
this is the best Irish soda bread recipe,, nice crisp crust, lovely color, I added 3 tablespoons of caraway seed. My family raved over it. Great with the traditional St. patrick‘’s day corned beef and cabbage
Absolutely delicious!
Excellent, delicious, so easy, and I wasn’t going to add the raisins, BUT since your grandma never skipped them, then neither did I. Super impressed and glad I added them. My 11 year old son loved the bread and with no butter.
This was a very easy recipe and the bread was delicious. Crusty in the outside, moist on the inside. Will bake again.
This is a wonderful recipe! I will be making it again. I did add a tsp of caraway seed and it gave only the slightest hint of flavor, so yes. 1tbl would be fine. The family loved it. Not much left to toast in the morning but definitely looking forward to it!
Haha. OMG I cannot believe this came out of my kitchen! It was not a flat brick a la my usual bread attempts. It was beautiful, looked professional! Got right in there with my hands. I added a bit more flour as I was kneading, just enough so not sticky. Cast iron was the right choice. I scored it deeply (approx ¼ to ⅓ the depth). Perfect crumb and cook. Crunchy, flakey crust, soft inside. Thank you for posting! I haven’t been so chuffed with myself in some time!
Ah! my stars didn’t go through. 5++
just made this delish bread.baked in cast iron skillet.sooooo good. mixed in my kitchen aid. will make it again. from nebraska
Oh good grief….I meant to say a BIG hit!! I should not attempt to multi-task.
Can you make this in a bread maker?
I messed up the first time. The bottom burnt before the middle was done cooking. Next time, I think I’ll split it into 2 like other suggestions.
It tastes so good though!!
Hi Amanda, We don’t suggest using this recipe with a bread maker. So glad you’re enjoying it!
Hello Sally-
I made this bread today in my cast iron skillet and not only did it turn out beautiful, it is delicious! A bit hit with my family. Thank you again for posting all these recipes. Using your detailed instructions and videos, I have tried baking things that I never would have considered previously. What a wonderful way to honor your grandmother on her birthday. I’m sure that she is very proud of you:-)
So delicious! I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. It honestly tastes like a bready scone and I love it. It’s wonderful with butter or jam or both! I baked this in a cast iron skillet for about 40 minutes and it came out perfectly – didn’t even need to tent. I see myself making this again and again.
Happy Birthday, Grandma! I feel like she gave me a gift today! Have been looking for a great Irish Soda Bread recipe for years and this is the one! After scrolling through lots of recipes online today and even after getting a recommendation forwarded to me from a friend of a friend, I decided to try this recipe of your Grandmother’s because of the great story that accompanied it and the sweet photo of her. Thank you for sharing this! I followed lots of tips from your notes: I cubed and froze the unsalted butter, I skipped the egg and only mixed it til it barely held together (I actually thought I ruined it because it was so crumbly, but it worked out great). I baked it in a Crisco-greased, 5 qt Dutch oven and covered it with foil half way through the cooking time. Perfect! Will make this recipe whenever I make Irish Soda Bread from now on!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, Margaret! So happy to hear you enjoyed it.
It turned out great. Always keep some flour ready to pour onto the kneading surface, because, it’s sticky out of the bowl. But, it made a nice loaf shape, and 43 minutes at 400
in a skillet, was perfect.
Just brought it out of the oven. Looks delicious! Made just as directed.
Excellent recipe! My family loved it!
DO NOT do this recipe for one loaf only !!!
DO 2 of them right away… one to eat as soon as out of the oven and the other one for later. This is EXTREMELY good !
I did use the kitchen stand mixer, it worked well.
Thank you Sally for sharing this recipe.
Happy St Patrick’s day everyone.
SO GOOD! I made it today (for saint Pattys day) and its delicious! I am probably going to make it every year for saint Patricks day! you should totally make this. I had to add a little bit of whole wheat flour since I ran out of regular but it worked out fine. I also didnt add any add-ins.
Can this be made on a 8 x 8 glass baking dish? I don’t have the pans readily available
Hi Melissa! See recipe notes for baking pan options. An 8×8 dish could work in a pinch, but a regular sheet pan would work better. Hope you love it!
I’ve made a loaf in the past and it has come out great. Can I make rolls with this recipe, or does it need modification?
Hi Grace! You can certainly try it. The bake time will be shorter. We would use the same oven temperature.