Irish Soda Bread
Submitted by enigme
Classic Irish soda bread bakes into crusty golden rounds in 45 minutes with just buttermilk, flour, and baking soda, plus optional raisins and caraway seeds for sweetness.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
75 minThis straightforward soda bread recipe delivers that iconic crusty exterior and tender, slightly crumbly interior that makes Irish bread so addictive.
The dough comes together in minutes (add just enough buttermilk so it holds together without being wet), then bakes into a gorgeous golden round.
Cut a deep X on top before baking so the loaf expands evenly and develops those characteristic crusty quarters.
Kitchen Tips
- Start with 1 cup buttermilk and add more tablespoon by tablespoon until dough just holds together
- The X should be about ½ inch deep to allow proper expansion
- Tap the bottom when done (it should sound hollow)
- Try it with 1 cup currants or raisins, or sprinkle caraway seeds on top before baking
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
With a pastry brush coat a baking sheet evenly with the tablespoon of softened butter.
Sift the flour, soda and salt together into a deep mixing bowl.
Gradually add 1 cup of the buttermilk, beating constantly with a large spoon until the dough is firm enough to be gathered into a ball .
If the dough crumbles, beat up to ½ cup more buttermilk into it by the tablespoon until the particles adhere.
Place the dough on a lightly floured board and pat and shape it into a flat circular loaf about 8 inch in diameter and 1½ inch thick.
Set the loaf on the baking sheet.
Then with the tip of a small knife cut a ½ inch deep X into the dough, dividing the top of the loaf into quarters.
Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
There are a couple of variations on this.
You can add 1 cup currants or raisins with the flour.
Also you can sprinkle the top of the loaf with caraway seeds.
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