We’re bubbling up this easy Irish Soda Bread recipe originally published by Kaitlin in 2014, re-tested and re-photographed five years later––on St. Patrick’s Day 2019. We’ve also updated it with metric measurements. Enjoy!
With the frenzy of green food coloring and corned beef & cabbage sweeping the food blogging community in this yearly moment of heightened Irish nationalism, I figured…why not throw our hat into the ring with an easy Irish Soda Bread recipe from one of our Irish neighbors back home in NJ?
A Childhood Memory
When I was in elementary school, a big event for all the third grade classes was a multicultural food festival, where all of us little munchkins would bring in a dish representing our cultural heritage. Now this was a high-pressure moment in one’s third-grade career. You had to bring in something cool, interesting yet not too bizarre, easily transportable, and something that would be acceptable to one’s picky snot-nosed compatriots. I remember third-grade Sarah hemmed and hawed about it quite a bit at our local Chinese grocery store before finally settling on pineapple buns, cut carefully into quarters, and a Chinese spongecake.
When my turn came a couple of years later, a lot was riding on it. Nothing short of the family honor, our legacy at Gregory Elementary, and my identity as a Chinese-American were all in the crosshairs! Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that dramatic. But I think my mom was slightly disappointed with the sterility of her first child’s choice and persuaded me to go with something more daring. And so, the morning of the festival, I toddled into the classroom with two large plastic tofu tubs’ worth of hot homemade pork dumplings drizzled with soy sauce. My mom woke up early to fry them before school and packed them up with a sheaf of napkins and plastic forks. (17 years later, our dumpling-making method hasn’t changed!)
By the time the festival rolled around—lunchtime—the dumplings had grown lukewarm and somewhat soggy. I remember they were kind of stuck together too… I was nervous. Sweat beaded down my forehead, and I was sure the dagger-like stares of my classmates were digging into my back as we lined up with our paper plates. Was there enough soy sauce?! Of course, my teacher ended up loving them, and I think my classmates did too—hard to say with all the stress-induced memory repression that was probably going on.
What I do remember, however, is the sheer number of kids who brought in dry, dusty loaves of store-bought Irish soda bread. I was expecting a smorgasbord of diversity, but instead it was slice after slice of dry soda bread from the local mega-mart. Plus, my puny third-grade brain couldn’t fathom just how bread could be made with a fizzy beverage.
Our Neighbor’s Classic Recipe
Needless to say, my perception of Irish Soda Bread had been forever marred. Until, that is, we sampled the Irish soda bread with raisins offered to us by one of our neighbors a few years ago. It was soft, crumbly, and had a tangy buttermilk undertone that went perfectly with the raisins baked inside. (And I did eventually figure out that it’s named for the baking soda in the recipe, not Coke or Pepsi).
Toasted and smeared with a little butter, this easy Irish Soda Bread is heavenly! My mom wasted no time procuring the recipe, and here it is. Enjoy the one time of the year during which absolutely everyone with a penchant for partying declares themselves Irish!
(This Irish Soda Bread recipe has a soft, more scone-like texture than some other recipes. I’m not sure what exactly is preferred or traditional, as my only frame of reference is this recipe and those several dry store-bought loaves I sampled in the third grade…but this one is really good.)
Recipe courtesy of an Irish friend and neighbor!
Of course, if you’re a fan of Asian breads as well, you MUST try out my Mom’s Asian Milk bread recipe.
Irish Soda Bread Recipe Tips for Before You Start:
- If you do not have buttermilk, you can substitute 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 cup plain yogurt OR 2 cups whole milk mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar (let this mixture stand 10 minutes before using in the recipe). Acidity is required to activate the baking soda in your Irish Soda bread to create a nice rise!
- Use a scale to measure your ingredients to avoid a dough that is too dry or sticky. From our own measuring we have found that 1 US cup of all-purpose flour is approximately 140g.
- Try to use a good Irish or other European butter for this recipe, as it is richer in milk fat and flavor. If you don’t have any available, American butter will work.
Easy Irish Soda Bread with Raisins: Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Cut the butter into small ¼ inch cubes and use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in the raisins, ensuring that the raisins are coated with flour and are not sticking together in any clumps.
Beat together the buttermilk and egg in a medium bowl.
And then add to the dry mixture.
Stir with a spatula until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated, but don’t overwork or knead the dough. The dough may be sticky, but that is normal.
Transfer your Irish soda bread dough to a floured surface. If you are making two loaves, then cut the dough in half. Shape into one large round loaf or two small ones, and again, don’t work the dough too much. We went the route of making one large loaf.
Transfer the loaf (or loaves) to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dip a knife into some flour and then cut a large X across the top of the dough, about 1″ deep. The cuts not only make the loaf more attractive but they also help the dough to rise freely in the oven and the middle of your Irish soda bread to cook through.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes for a single large loaf or 40-50 minutes for two smaller loaves, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.
Enjoy your Irish Soda bread with raisins with a good spread of Irish butter! We think it’s especially delicious when toasted.
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (700g)
- 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (110-220g, depending on desired sweetness)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (12g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt (7g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (6g)
- 1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces or 113g, softened and cut into cubes)
- 1 1/2 cups raisins (190g)
- 2 cups buttermilk (475 ml)
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a large bowl.
- Cut the butter into small ¼ inch cubes and use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the raisins, ensuring that the raisins are coated with flour and are not sticking together in any clumps.
- Beat together the buttermilk and egg in a medium bowl, and then add to the dry mixture. Stir with a spatula until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated, but don’t overwork or knead the dough. The dough may be sticky, but that is normal.
- Transfer your Irish soda bread dough to a floured surface. If you are making two loaves, then cut the dough in half. Shape into one large round loaf or two small ones, and again, don’t work the dough too much.
- Transfer the loaf (or loaves) to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dip a knife into some flour and then cut a large X across the top of the dough, about 1" deep.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes for a single large loaf or 40-50 minutes for two smaller loaves, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.
