My Favorite Irish Soda Bread Only Has Four Ingredients.
Whenever I’m low on carbs, I make one of two things: cookies or quick bread. Lately, I’ve been leaning toward the latter—like banana bread, lemon poppy seed muffins, or cookies—because they’re less sweet than cookies, and I like the ritual spread of salted butter. I make this Irish Soda Bread all the time and I think you’ll love it too.
Quick gratification with bread
The quick bread category is quite broad. They can be sweet and cakey like banana bread, subtly sweet like scones, or savory like cheddar cheese and thyme biscuits. Unlike yeast breads, quick breads are raised using chemical starters (baking soda or baking powder), meaning they don’t require a long proofing period. What’s more, something like Irish soda bread requires very few ingredients.
The Dutch oven is my choice for making this sublime and tender Irish soda bread. Just like baking a sourdough loaf , moisture is your soda bread’s friend. Placing soda bread in a small space allows moisture to accumulate as moisture evaporates from the dough. The moist air keeps the surface of the loaf pliable longer than if you baked it uncovered on a baking sheet. The added flexibility means the loaf can rise higher without being constrained by a hard crust.
How to Make Irish Soda Bread
I’ve tweaked this simple recipe a bit with just four ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. It is very similar to biscuit dough (without butter or vegetable oil). Although traditional soda bread is the simplest (no raisins), I prefer to add them. If you’re in a good mood, you can substitute other additions: try dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or chocolate chips. The dough is relatively simple, so whatever flavor profile you choose will work.
I have two notes before you start making the loaf. The main thing is not to overwork the dough. You’ve heard it before, but with dough this shaggy, it’s hard to resist kneading it until smooth. Don’t do this. Leave it a little shaggy and the loaf will be more tender.
About preheating a Dutch oven: A regular oven should be preheated no matter what, but I’ve made this recipe with a cold Dutch oven before. I actually made an entire Irish video on YouTube about soda bread using a cold pan. It turns out perfect and well risen. However, recently I preheated the broiler, just like a regular oven heats up, and the loaf came out perfect there too. In the recipe below I preheat the pan. You can do either option – the only difference I found is that it bakes 10 minutes faster if you select preheat.
Any other questions about Irish soda bread can be answered here . Otherwise, the dough will only take a few minutes to prepare.
Irish soda bread
Ingredients:
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12 ounces all-purpose flour
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¾ teaspoon salt
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¾ teaspoon baking soda
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10 ounces buttermilk
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2 ounces raisins (optional)
1. Place roasting pan in oven and preheat to 425°F. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.
2. Pour in all the buttermilk at once and combine the ingredients by pressing and stirring. I use a plastic bowl scraper for this.
3. When the dough starts to become lumpy and shaggy, add the raisins (if using) and continue pressing and stirring.
4. When the dough is almost combined but there is still some loose flour at the bottom of the bowl, pour the dough onto an ungreased counter. Pat and press the dough to collect any dry bits. Use sticky areas to remove loose flour. Once you have gathered most of the loose pieces, roll out the dough into a circle (about) two inches thick. Using a serrated knife, score the dough to a depth of one-half inch. Place the loaf on a sheet of parchment paper.
5. Carefully remove the Dutch oven and use parchment paper to lift and lower the loaf into the pan. Close the lid and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown. Cool the soda bread on a wire rack before serving.