Irish soda bread is a classic no-yeast bread made with simple pantry ingredients and leavened with baking soda instead of yeast. This traditional Irish soda bread has a lightly crisp crust, a tender crumb, and a mild tang from buttermilk, making it perfect for everyday baking and serving alongside both sweet and savoury dishes.
Hey, folks – I hope you’re all doing well. This week, I’m sharing one of the most timeless and humble breads you can bake at home, using just a handful of ingredients and very little effort. So, let’s dive into this Irish soda bread.
What Is Soda Bread
Soda bread is a traditional Irish bread that relies on baking soda for leavening instead of yeast. The soda reacts with the acidity of buttermilk, creating a quick rise without kneading or long resting times. Historically, soda bread was baked daily in Irish homes, especially in rural areas, using basic ingredients that were always on hand.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No yeast required: This Irish soda bread comes together quickly without proofing or resting time.
- Simple ingredients: Just flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt.
- Rustic and forgiving: Minimal handling keeps the crumb tender and light.
- Versatile: Perfect with butter and jam, or served alongside soups and stews.
Flavour and Texture Profile
This Irish soda bread has a lightly crisp, flour-dusted crust with a soft, tender interior. The flavour is mild and wheaty, with a gentle tang from the buttermilk. Using white flour keeps the crumb lighter and more delicate than brown soda bread, while still maintaining a rustic character.
Ingredients You’ll Need for This Traditional Irish Soda Bread
For this Irish soda bread, you’ll need just a few basic ingredients:
- All-purpose flour: Forms the structure of the bread and keeps the crumb light and tender.
- Baking soda: Acts as the leavening agent, reacting with the acidity in the buttermilk to give the bread its rise.
- Salt: Enhances flavour and balances the mild tang of the dough.
- Buttermilk: Provides moisture and acidity, creating a tender crumb and the characteristic subtle tang.
How to Make Buttermilk at Home?
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make a reliable substitute at home. For soda bread, the acidity is what matters most, as it activates the baking soda.
- For 1 cup (240 ml) homemade buttermilk:
- Measure 1 tbsp. (15 ml) lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup.
- Add milk to reach 1 cup (240 ml) total.
- Stir briefly and let stand for 5–10 minutes.
The mixture should look slightly thickened and lightly curdled, with a faint separation visible. It will not become fully thick like yogurt – a subtle change in texture is exactly what you want. If it still looks like plain milk, let it stand a few minutes longer.
Use this homemade buttermilk exactly as you would regular buttermilk in this Irish soda bread recipe.
How to Make Irish Soda Bread
To make this bread, start by preheating your oven and preparing a baking tray. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly to ensure the baking soda is evenly distributed. Add the buttermilk and gently bring the dough together with minimal handling.
The proper soda bread dough should feel soft, slightly tacky, and shaggy rather than smooth. It should hold together easily without being wet or sticky, and you should still see a few rough edges – this is exactly what you want. Overworking or kneading the dough will make the bread dense and tough.
I divided the dough into two smaller loaves, which helps them bake evenly and makes them easier to slice. Before baking, I like to sprinkle both the bottom and the top of each loaf with extra flour for a rustic, traditional look. Cut a deep cross on top of each loaf and bake until golden.
Once baked, the loaves should be well risen with a lightly crackled surface and a pale-golden to lightly browned crust. When tapped firmly on the bottom, the bread should sound hollow, a classic sign that the crumb is fully baked through.
How to Enjoy This Bread
- Served warm with plenty of butter, including compound butter.
- Paired with jams, marmalade, or honey.
- Alongside soups, stews, or chowders.
- Toasted lightly the next day and topped with cheese or smoked fish.
I hope you like this Traditional Irish Soda Bread, and you will give it a try shortly. If you make it, please let me know in the comment section of this post below, send me an Instagram message, or share your photos by adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.
Cheers!
Traditional Irish Soda Bread
Traditional Irish soda bread made with all-purpose flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt. A classic no-yeast bread with a rustic crust.
5
minutes30
minutes1-2
loafsKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
4 cups (480 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp. (5 g) baking soda
1 tsp. (5 g) fine salt
1¾ to 2 cups (420–480 ml) buttermilk
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly flour it.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in most of the buttermilk. Mix gently with your hand or a fork until a soft dough forms, adding more buttermilk only if needed. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, not wet or sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together without overhandling; overworking will make the loaf dense and tough. Just gently knead several times and bring together into a ball – or divide the dough into two equal portions, like I did it, and shape each into a round loaf.
- Optionally, sprinkle the bottom and top of each loaf lightly with flour and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cut a deep (1cm deep) cross on the top of each loaf.
- Bake for about 25 minutes (start checking at about 20 minutes) or slightly longer, until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom. If you make one large loaf, the baking time will be around 35-40 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 20-30 before slicing for the crumb to set properly. Wrap the loaf in a clean kitchen towel to preserve the freshness. Enjoy!
