Name: Irish Soda Bread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Quick Breads
Ingredients: 1 cup All-purpose flour; 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Baking Soda; 1/2 Cup Butter; 1 Cup of Butter Milk; 1/2 Cup Raisins

Irish soda bread is simple and quick to put together. It’s no wonder the Irish have made it a traditional staple in the kitchen. The buttermilk, raisins, and butter make this recipe especially flavorful and rich! You will love this simple and rich Irish Soda Bread!

What makes a traditional Irish soda bread?

As I have studied and compared traditional Irish recipes, many of them differed slightly. But they all share 3 ingredients, flour, buttermilk/soured milk, and baking soda.

When baking soda came to Ireland in the 1830s, it was cheaper to buy than store bought yeast. Old Irish soda bread recipes are made with soured milk; or milk that has gone sour. The reaction between the alkaline in the soda and the acidity in the soured milk, causes the bread to rise.

It was also very common to have fresh bread on the table daily. Soda bread, a clever solution to quick and easy daily bread! I can imagine housewives hurrying to get dinner on the table and whipping up a quick loaf of bread on the open fire. The farmer’s wife would have used any simple ingredients she had on hand. Some fresh milled flour, fresh eggs, days old milk, maybe some dried fruit, and of course baking soda.

The most simple and Rich Soda Bread

I’ve tested a few soda bread recipes. And found the most rich and flavorful recipes of soda bread included plenty of salt and butter. I even tried reducing the butter and adding an egg to see if the crumb would hold together better. It did hold the crumb together well and the bread was moist. But it seemed to lack in richness of flavor. Of course! Everything is better with butter! More butter!

The Simplest Ingredients

The Irish put this bread together with the most simple and basic ingredients. Any housewife would have had these ingredients in her home.

Flour – Today we are using all purpose and whole wheat

Salt

Baking Soda

Butter- The real stuff of course!

Butter Milk – If you don’t have butter milk, substitute with 1 cup of milk and 1 tsp of vinegar. Let sit for a few minutes. It’s important to add the acidity.

Raisins- Soaked and drained. Many traditional recipes include current berries.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

To make this a traditional Irish bread don’t forget to bless the bread! Irish soda bread gets its signature look by cutting a cross into the top of the dough. This cross represents the God head or holy cross.

Irish tradition has many tales and stories of fairies. So don’t forget to release the mischievous fairies from your bread, by pocking each quarter of your dough with the tip of your knife.

Print the Recipe Here!

Irish Soda Bread

Yield: 1 Loaf

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

The most simple and rich Irish soda bread. With all the traditional ingredients of an Irish Soda bread.

Ingredients

1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup of Butter Milk
1/2 Cup Raisins

Instructions

Soak raisins in warm water for 30 mins. Or microwave for 1 min. Set aside.
Combine flours, salt, baking soda, in a bowl. Mix with hands and crush baking soda with fingers.
Cut butter with knife into cubes. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until butter is pea sized crumbs.
Add one cup of butter milk and drained raisins.
Mix wet and dry ingredients with a spoon. Then move dough onto floured surface. If dough is wet and sticky add more flour. Mold dough into a ball.
With a sharp knife, cut 1 inch deep across the dough and again to make cross. Poke the dough on each quarter of the dough to let the fairies out! This is just an Irish tradition and makes no difference to the bread.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake Soda bread at 400 Degrees Fahrenheit, for 35 to 40 minutes. Watch bread those last few minutes. Take out when golden brown. Enjoy!

Notes

Raisins are totally optional. You could also use any dried fruit. If you don't have buttermilk, substitute 1 cup of milk with vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.