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Grandma’s Irish Soda

Bread
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Author: Sally

Published: 03/11/2019 Updated: 03/20/2022

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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.

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Research

Old Fashioned Irish Soda Bread

1. ›
Recipe

2. Irish Soda Bread Ingredient List ›

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

3. ›
Recipe

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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

Irish Soda Bread | Sally's Ba…

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.

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1. Irish Soda Bread Recipe ›

2. Irish Soda Bread Ingredient List ›

3. Pineapple Quick Bread Recipe ›

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1 Whisk buttermilk and 1 egg together.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and
salt together in another bowl.

2 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.

3 Bring the dough together with your hands.

Using a very sharp knife, score the dough.
This allows the center to bake.

4 Bake until golden brown.

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1. Irish Soda Bread Recipe ›

2. Irish Soda Bread Ingredient List ›

3. Pineapple Quick Bread Recipe ›

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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.

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3 Success Tips
1 Don’t over-work the dough. It’s supposed
to look a little shaggy.

2 Score the top of the dough with an “X”

before baking. This helps the center bake
through.

3 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.

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If you’re baking for St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll love

my Guinness Brownies, Baileys and Coffee
Cupcakes, Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes,
and Shamrock Cookies too.

Grandma’s Irish Soda

Bread
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.8 from 323 reviews

Author: Sally
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf

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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 (70g) unsalted butter,

cold and cubed*

optional: 1 cup (150g) raisins

Instructions

1 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.
2 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.

___

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ON H LOYL E
V AYCO
AU T IROPNE O
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FIND YOURS

3 Transfer the dough to the prepared

skillet/pan. Using a very sharp knife,
score a 1/2 inch deep X into the top.
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 an accurate
test, bread is done when an instant read
thermometer reads 190°F (88°C).
4 Remove from the oven and allow bread
to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a
wire rack. Serve warm, at room
temperature, or toasted with desired
toppings/spreads.
5 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
1 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.
2 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
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.

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