The essential ingredients in a traditional Irish soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The acid in buttermilk reacts with the base of the baking soda to provide the bread’s leavening. This leavening from buttermilk and baking soda is what gives the bread its name: “soda bread.”
Video: How to Make Irish Soda Bread
Why the Cross in the Center?
Why the cross in the center? Scoring the dough will help the heat reach the center of the loaf while baking.
Ingredients for Irish Soda Bread
This soda bread is a slightly fancied up Americanized version of the Irish classic, with a little butter, sugar, an egg, and some currants or raisins added to the base. You can bake it in a cast iron frying pan (now that’s traditional!) or on a regular baking sheet. You can also make a simpler version without eggs or currants, with some caraway seeds, or you could turn your soda bread dough into biscuits.
How Long Does Irish Soda Bread Last?
Soda bread dries out quickly so it really is only good for a day or two. It is best eaten freshly baked and warm or toasted. Keep it wrapped in plastic wrap or foil. That said, you can make it ahead and freeze it (let it cool to room temperature first). Wrap it tightly first in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. It will last up to 2 months frozen.
More Irish-Style Breads to Make
Caraway Soda Bread Oatmeal Soda Bread Soda Bread Biscuits Irish Brown Bread Guinness Bread with Molasses
Hence, the introduction of baking soda as a leavening agent, which reacts with the buttermilk to form small carbon dioxide bubbles, approximating the chemical reaction of yeast. What we consider traditional Irish bread came about because of the Native Americans, who used a sort of wood ash as a leavening agent to make bread without yeast. This method of making bread was introduced to Ireland in the 1830s. Different types of soda bread are popular throughout Ireland, but all of them are pretty simple, everyday breads. They were found in every household to mop up stews or to enjoy with a cup of tea. The Northern Irish divide their dough into 4 triangles, while the Southerners made theirs round with a cross shape on top. Here in America, we like to put in add-ins like caraway seeds, currants, raisins, or honey. Modern Irish soda breads might contain nuts, orange zest, or even Guinness. However you enjoy your soda bread, be sure to have it fresh from the oven, a piece torn off, slathered with some good butter.
Buttermilk Substitutions
There are only a few ingredients in this soda bread recipe, so it’s best if made with real buttermilk. However, there are a few buttermilk substitutions that work well and will still react with the baking soda to make the bread rise. Kefir works especially well, or you can thin yogurt to the consistency of buttermilk using plain milk. You can also acidify milk with lemon juice or white vinegar. Add 2 scant tablespoons to a measuring cup and top with whole milk to make 1 3/4 cups total. Stir and let sit for a few minutes until the mixture curdles, then proceed with the recipe as written.
What to Serve with Irish Soda Bread
Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage Irish Beef Stew Irish Lamb Stew with Bacon Healthy Shepherd’s Pie
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-work the dough the bread will end up tough. Using a serrated knife, score the top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an “X” shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks. Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil. Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It’s easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Be sure to put a pot holder over it. Serve the bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.
