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
This is such a good bread… and it was so easy to make! I’ve been following your recipes for a lot of my baked goods but I just have to leave a comment this time! Thanks Sally!
Excellent!! Try this you won’t be disappointed!!!
This recipe is no fuss baking, simplicity at its best. I didn’t add raisins because we were serving it with chili. Wow…my husband, my two year old and I ate half the loaf…it’s buttery heaven. I’ll definitely be making this one again. . Thanks Sally!
I used half buckwheat, half all purpose flour, it turned out beautiful and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I have a question. If I don’t have raisins or currants, can I substitute dates?
Yes! Just make sure they are finely chopped (to about the size of raisins).
Well, I made it even before I saw this reply and it was deeeeelicious. I used the chopped dates. Hubby wants me to make it again and again. Easy recipe and flavorful.
The directions for mixing and baking were good and produced a nicely structured loaf. However, overall the bread was very bland compared with Irish Soda bread I have enjoyed from bakers. I checked some other recipes and see they use 2 – 3x the amount of salt. If you are on a low salt diet this recipe may work well but otherwise I advise to shop around and check out a few recipes.
Sally, do you preheat the cast iron pan like with traditional yeast bread? Not sure if my cast iron pan is properly seasoned. What do you recommend….lightly brushing it with oil or butter? Thanks.
Hi Susan! You can pre-heat the cast iron skillet if desired, but sometimes I forget or don’t have enough time. The crust will still be pretty crusty even if you don’t! Give the cast iron pan a light brush or drizzle of vegetable oil to grease it.
Yes, Sally. I baked it at 400 in cast iron. Perfection.
It’s in the oven as I type this,got the coffee brewing.Smells delicious,thanks for sharing !
Hi, I have a question. How would you cover bread if you are going to store it in the fridge?
I usually place it in a resealable bag. But you can also wrap it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Came out perfect the first time I made it. Everyone loved the Irish Soda Bread. Love that the weights of the ingredients was included. Use weight instead of cup measurements like the pros do, assures what one bakes comes out right every time!
I made this to bring to a friends, and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing your grandmothers recipe with us.
Didn’t add currents but 1/2 Tbsp of caraway seed. It was delicious! Great toast the next day! I do think cutting in the butter made all the difference!
I made this for St Patrick’s Day as part of a baking trifecta (also made Pistachio Drop Cookies and Guinness Brownies) and it turned out wonderful! I didn’t make it with raisins as my partner isn’t a fan, but I want to try adding them next time. The dough is definitely sticky, so extra flour was a must. It baked up perfectly, and sliced like a dream. The flavor reminded me of tea biscuits my grandma and mom used to make (which was a lovely taste memory :)). Thank you Sally for another awesome recipe!
I only had about 250 grams of flour on hand and no time to run to the store. Out of desperation, I added about 100 grams of almond flour/meal, and made up the balance with whole wheat flour. It was absolutely delicious! I might even make it this way on purpose next time. Thanks for a delicious and flexible recipe.
Love the recipe
Made it yesterday for St. Patty’s Day and it was amazing. Baked for about 50 minutes. Making another loaf today for leftovers and it’s at 50 minutes in the oven and still not cooked. Not sure what I did wrong. Any suggestions anyone?
Hi Nick! I’m so glad you made and enjoyed this bread. Thanks!
Depending on how thick and cold the loaf is, the bread will require a longer bake time. Avoid opening/closing the oven, which will extend the bake time. Cover with foil so the exterior doesn’t over-brown.
I took it out to put foil on about halfway through, so maybe that’s why it took a little bit longer. Just took it out at about 1 hour 5 minutes of cooking and the whole house smells amazing!
Came out perfect and very delicious! No substitutions and baked in a 9 inch pie plate. Lightly toasted a slice for breakfast this morning too – very yummy! Thanks Sally!
First time making Irish Soda Bread and I was SO thrilled! Wow, delicious bread, so easy and amazing texture with perfect sweetness. My guests could not get enough. 50 minutes gave me a golden brown loaf and moist chewy inside.
I used Craisins which were perfect for this bread.
I halved this recipe for my small “party,” and it was perfect! I baked it in my small oval cast iron pan, and the crust was excellent. I added currants and orange zest. Delicious!
I don’t like raisins so I used dried apricots. It was fabulous. Cooked it in a cast iron skillet. Everyone loved it
In cast iron, did you still bake at 400? Mom used to bake it in cast iron.
This was my first time making bread of any sort . Turned out amazing!
Made this today, St Patty’s Day. Came out wonderfully. I weighed the ingredients. I cooked mine in a 9 inch cast iron skillet. The dough is sticky, so have extra flour on hand. I usually flour my hands and the counter. I also used a dough scraper to help knead it. 45 minutes was perfect. Let it sit for about 30 minutes before cutting, then made rather thick slices. My dear husband ate almost 1/2 of the loaf! I will try this as an Easter bread with the addition of cardamon, walnuts and dried fruit. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Thank you for sharing your grandmother’s recipe. My first attempt at soda bread and it came out perfect!
Giving this 3 stars because the dough was a wet mess. I measured the flour and sugar by weight, so I know I was on target. The resulting mixture was SOUP. I added extra flour but still had to use a scraper to get it off the counter. It’s in the oven now so I hope it comes out ok. Disappointed so far.
I used Craisins (being from Cape Cod !) I made a small one the size of a large biscuit to be sure the taste was ok (bringing it to a St. Paddy’s party held by a first generation Irish American so I wouldn’t bring it if it weren’t good). And I sprinkled the top with pearl/cane sugar as was recommended in another recipe. The bigger bread is still cooking but the small one is on my plate and delicious. Sort of like a light textured scone. Bet it will be a hit!
Hey Sally- I’ve made this recipe twice and my bread just doesn’t seem to get done on the inside! The second time I cooked it for an hour and 15 minutes! Still a bit doughy in the center. Any idea what I’m doing wrong? How deep do you cut the X in the top? Maybe my cut is too shallow? (The outside part of the bread is delicious though!!!)
Hi Katey! I never usually measure, but about 1/2 – 1 inch deep. Depending on how thick and cold the loaf is, the bread will require a longer bake time. Avoid opening/closing the oven, which will extend the bake time. Cover with foil so the exterior doesn’t over-brown.
This bread is delicious and reminds me of pancakes :-). I baked the bread in a cast iron skillet per your recommendation and the crust was beautifully crisp. Thanks for sharing!
It’s delicious! I just wish I added a touch more flour bc my dough was still pretty wet so it came out a little dense. Will definitely get it perfect for my next batch. I love that this recipe is not too sweet. I will try my next batch with dried cranberries!
Looks so good! Love me some crusty bread. When adding raisins, would it work to use the trick from your OR cookie recipe and soak them first? Or would that somehow negatively affect this recipe?
Thanks!
That’s a great question, but there’s really no need. They get pretty moist inside the dough. 🙂