Dense and beautifully golden on the outside, but still wonderfully tender and soft on the inside, Irish soda bread is the stuff of home bread baking dreams. This flavorful quick bread is almost ridiculously easy to prepare, comes together in less than an hour, and contains just a few basic ingredients. Brilliant, really. My version is very simple and traditional, savory not sweet. (The caraway seeds are an optional, but lovely, addition.) There is always a warm craggy loaf of this bread on my table around St. Patrick's Day, but this recipe is far too effortless and satisfying to be limited in appearance to just once a year.
I consider this bread to be mandatory whenever I make a savory pot of Irish Stew, and once you've gone that far down the emerald green path, I figure you might as well top it off with a sweet glass of Irish Cream, too.
Ingredients for Irish Soda Bread
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- kosher salt
- caraway seeds (optional)
- buttermilk
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and caraway seeds (if using).
Then add the buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon very briefly, or just until the mixture begins to cohere into large moist clumps.
At this point, the mixture will look fairly shaggy and there may still be a bit of loose flour in the bottom of the bowl. This is fine...you don't want to over-mix this dough.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Then gather it up with your hands and gently press just until the dough holds together. (This should take no longer than about 15 seconds.)
Quickly shape the dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured baking sheet. Then gently press it down into a flat round, about 6 inches across and 2 inches high. With a sharp knife, cut a large cross (about ½ to 1 inch deep) on top of the bread, extending almost to the edges.
Bake until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when it is tapped on the bottom, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool before slicing.
Hint: Irish soda bread does not need to be kneaded like a yeast dough (and trying to do so will actually make it tough), so do not be tempted to overwork this dough as you bring it together.
Storage
This bread is best eaten the same day it is baked. It can be kept wrapped tightly in plastic for a day or two, but the crust will soften upon storage.
📖 Recipe
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 3½ cups flour plus a bit more for dusting the pan
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)
- 1½ cups buttermilk well shaken
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly flour a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and caraway seeds (if using).
- Add the buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon very briefly, or just until the mixture begins to cohere into large moist clumps.
- Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Then gather it up with your hands and gently press just until the dough holds together. (This should take no longer than about 15 seconds.)
- Quickly shape the dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured baking sheet. Then gently press it down into a flat round, about 6 inches across and 2 inches high. With a sharp knife, cut a large cross (about ½ to 1 inch deep) on top of the bread, extending almost to the edges.
- Bake until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when it is tapped on the bottom, about 35 minutes.
- Transfer to a rack and cool before slicing.
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