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, 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.
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.
PrintGrandma’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 “DIY” version. 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).
I used non-gmo sweetened cherries and it came out just as good as raisins! Great recipe!
As an anxious but adventurous baker, I had fun making this recipe. I had never done the spooning flour method and was wondering if I was doing it right. And anxious I cut in the butter wrong (I used a fork and finished with my fingers), but my 2 loaves turned out beautifully! I do want to try this again in my cast iron though because I originally had the cast iron loaf set on the bottom rack while the 1st loaf on a sheet pan on the top rack finished baking (thought they would both fit on one shelf – nope!). So the bottom overcooked slightly. Other than that, the recipe was a great success and won out over a store-bought soda bread brought by someone else. I always trust this site for amazing recipes and this one did not disappoint.
I sprinkle turbinado sugar over crust prior to baking. Got 1 on the oven right now. I love all the comments. My family asks for this loaf often.
I made this last month – so good! The loaf rose a lot more than I was expecting so I had a lot of soda bread but it only lasted a few days before we ate it all… Used a tip from my grandma and soaked the raisins in whiskey overnight before adding. Will be making this again for St. Patrick’s day 🙂 it was delicious.
Most delicious Irish soda bread recipe! I soaked my raisins overnight in Irish whisky first. The only other change I would make (for me) is to add more sugar. Perfect texture and so delicious!!
Made this recipe this morning. Best Irish Soda bread I have ever made! It is a keeper. So delicious toasted with butter. Baked it on parchment paper for 45 minutes. So perfect!
Many Thanks!
Ava
I made this Irish Soda Bread exactly as written. I weighed the flour and baked it in a parchment lined baking sheet. This is by far the best recipe that I have found. The flavor of the buttermilk comes through and it’s not too sweet. I did add the raisins and that is a must in my opinion. Thanks for this great recipe!
This is the best Irish Soda Bread recipe I’ve ever made! Pretty much every other I’ve made or bought has been on the coarse side and dry. This one was so moist and the crumb was fine and tender. This is the only recipe I’ll use going forward! I cubed my butter in small dice size and froze the cubes for about 15-20 min while I gathered the ingredients and pre-heated the oven – I threw my bottle of buttermilk in the freezer at the same time so it’d be as cold as possible. I worked the butter in with my fingers. I baked the bread in a cast iron skillet. I sprinkled a little granulated sugar over the top before baking to add a hint of sweetness to the crust. I covered the bread loosely with a sheet of foil halfway through so it wouldn’t over-brown and then removed it for the last 5 min. It came out perfect. I served it with Kerrygold Irish butter and it was a huge hit. Makes great toast the next day too!
Can I substitute Almond milk with the suggested lemon juice in this recipe?
Yes, absolutely. Nondairy works (with the lemon) in the DIY buttermilk substitute. See recipe note.
Perfect recipe. My husband said maybe a little more sugar or raisins but I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you
Added a 1/4 cup of caraway seeds along with the raisins. Baked in a 9 inch aluminum pie tin and put the recommended deep cross in the top. The dough was quite sticky and I kept adding flour for the kneading. It made a nice rise, a nice brown crusty top and it was delicious!!!!!
Well, I made this again this year and had great results..again! I made one large loaf and then made another batch which I divided into 2 smaller loaves. I baked the small ones on the same parchment lined sheet for about 35 minutes, rotating the sheet half way through and covering loosely with foil the last 15 minutes. Yummy!
I made a loaf of this bread today. I substituted golden raisins for the regular ones (I like their flavor and softness better than dark raisins). It turned out great and is very delicious! I will make 2 loaves next time!
Made this recipe today, I love the texture of the bread but I find that it tastes a lot like flour. What did I do wrong? I did find that the flour did not get crumbley when I cut butter in. I kept checking to make sure I had the right amount of butter and flour. It was still very fluffy from the flour, but I continued. Everyone’s reviews are so great, so I don’t understand what I did wrong. Help!
Hi Rachel, I wonder if the bread was under-baked at all? Also, did you alter any ingredients or add more flour than written?
Omg the same thing happened to me today. I was maybe 1/4 off of the buttermilk so I stretched it and put a little water in the container to get the leftover out. The crust was perfect and I felt the same way about getting the flour and butter to crumble more. I will def try again once I get more butter milk
Hello Rachel,
I am enjoying the aroma of your Grandma’s soda bread in my oven as I write this. I am thinking of her as it bakes, thank you for sharing a bit about her and her recipe. I can’t wait to take my first bite!!
great for my first time making irish soda bread. I did bake it ibn my dutch oven with parchment paper, Lid on for 20 min. off for next 25 min. will try and use currants next time of cut my huge raisins in half. great with shephards pie and cornbeef andcabbage.
Hi Sally, can you make individual loaves with this? Love your recipes! Thanks
Hi Barb! You can certainly make smaller loaves with this recipe, but we don’t recommend using loaf pans (mini or full sized). We’re unsure how long they’ll need to bake. Enjoy!
So just divide the dough into equal parts on a baking sheet? Thanks
I haven’t made this soda bread yet but I’m looking forward to trying it. I had soda bread a while ago that had grated cheddar cheese in it and it was delicious. Has anyone tried adding cheese? How much did you add and did it turn out well?
Hi Alison! Absolutely- We recommend using our no yeast soda bread recipe. We include lots of flavor ideas in that post- see recipe note.
I’m going to make this, hopefully today, and I want to know if I can use melted butter instead of cutting it in? I always seem to mess up the cutting in step!
Thanks
Marybeth
Hi Marybeth! Melted butter isn’t ideal. Like scones and pie crust, cutting cold butter into the flour in this recipe 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. Or you can try our no yeast bread instead which calls for melted butter. Happy baking!
In years past I made soda bread exactly one time a year. This recipe has changed that. It was perfect last night with corned beef, but this morning as a breakfast bread it has become our hands-down, year round family favorite! Thanks so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
This was delicious! Made as written. I baked in pie pan and that worked well – perfect size and shape. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hello Sally,
My husband was born and bred (no pun intended ) in Donegal, Ireland, and the thing he misses the most is the Irish soda bread, so this recipe looks perfect. My question was asked above but not answered so I’m asking again because I’m also wondering if you can bake in a 6 qt dutch oven? If the answer is yes then would you suggest covering or leaving open? Thanks for you fantastic recipes and instructions, my family absolutely loves everything I make from your site!!
Super easy and very good. Infinitely better than the recipe that’s been in my husband’s family. LOL My daughter made it also so, hopefully, we’ll be passing down this recipe for generations to come.
Haven’t made soda bread in a looooong time so I looked it up, found this recipe. Made it today for a socially distanced STPD party–everyone *raved* about it. Made it in my cast iron skillet and it turned out brilliantly. Your blog is great, very holistic. Will be back. Cheers and Happy St. Patrick’s day! ☘
Can this be made in a bread machine? My hands don’t work as good as they used to.
Hi Violet, we don’t recommend a bread machine for this dough. You can use a food processor for the butter step. After that, it’s a very small amount of mixing. The dough is quite sticky at that point, but I’m sure a mixer could work.
Outstanding! Loved this bread. I’ve never made Irish Soda Bread, but wanted to give it a try since other folks loved this recipe. I thought that my dough was too sticky, but I added more flour like the instructions said once I took it out of the bowl (after the initial mixing). I checked on it 10 minutes sooner since mine seemed a little flat & it was done. I had added the aluminum foil halfway through baking since it was already pretty brown. We ate almost half the loaf right after the 10 minutes of initial cooling once taken out of the oven. Would definitely make this again! Thank you for sharing your Grandma’s recipe!
My first Irish Soda Bread. If like me you’ve NEVER tasted it, its more like a biscuit than bread. ( which honestly I should have realized when reading the list of ingredients) It came together well as Sally says and baked in about 40 min in a cast iron skillet. Thanks for sharing your grandmas recipe Sally.
I have not tried this receipt yet but it looks like the one I have been looking for. My Scot-Irish mother- in-law tried to teach me but her receipt had handfuls of this and pinches of that so my attempt at making the soda bread was lacking.Thanks
Delicious! Ideas/Instructions for baking 2 at once in oven?
I just baked 2 at same time, 1 cast iron and 1 parchment lined cookie sheet. Both look great. Did take longer to bake than 45 mins. I baked until 200 in center.
Have you ever added caraway seeds to your Irish bread? My grandmother always put in raisins and caraway.
Caraway seeds would be fantastic in this bread, Alicia!
I always add caraway seeds to this bread and German rye bread. (Learned to make the later from my grandma)
Hi Sally,
Would it be OK to substitute bread flour for the all purpose flour? This looks delicious and I hope to try it! Thanks.
Hi Jean, Bread flour is OK to use. The bread may taste chewier and even a bit denser.