Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is an easy quick bread. No yeast required! Buttermilk and baking soda help the bread rise. This recipe yields a bread that is dense, soft, and has a crispy, golden crust. Perfect to make for St. Patrick's Day or any day of the year!

Ingredients You'll Need:

• Buttermilk
• Egg
• All-Purpose Flour
• White Granulated Sugar
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Unsalted Butter
• Raisins

Making Irish Soda Bread is so quick! No rising and no long kneading times. Just mix up, form into a loaf, and bake! I love to bake it in a cast iron skillet (my Lodge 10-inch skillet is my favorite to use) as it helps yield a crispier crust, but you can also use a baking sheet.

Easy Steps to Make Irish Soda Bread:

• Preheat oven and butter a cast iron skillet.
• Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt).
• Mix together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl (buttermilk and eggs).
• Cut the butter into the dry ingredients and mix in the raisins.
• Fold the wet ingredients into the dry.
• Shape into a loaf (kneading a few times to get the dough to take shape) and place in prepared skillet.
• Bake and enjoy!

Buttermilk is a key ingredient. Not just to help the dough rise, but also to add a great tangy flavor. Looking for other ways to use buttermilk - check out this post.
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Irish Soda Bread

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Irish Soda Bread is an easy quick bread. No yeast required! Buttermilk and baking soda help the bread rise. This recipe yields a bread that is dense, soft, and has a crispy, golden crust. Perfect to make for St. Patrick's Day or any day of the year!

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 65 minutes
• Yield: 1 large loaf
• Category: Sides
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 4 ¼ cups all purpose flour (plus more for hands and surface)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold and cut into cubes. Plus additional for greasing)
• 1 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease an ovenproof skillet (I used my cast iron) or a cake pan with butter. You can also use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together. To the dry ingredients, cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Fold in the raisins with a rubber spatula.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Fold the dough together. When the dough is too hard to stir, use floured hands to work the dough into a rough ball. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 30 seconds. All the flour will be moistened and the dough will be slightly sticky. Do not overknead the dough and do not add more flour unless the dough is very very sticky.
4. Transfer the dough ball to the greased skillet. With a sharp knife, score an X in the top of the dough. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes. The bread is done when it's golden brown and the center is cooked through. If too much browning occurs, place foil over the top when finishing baking.
5. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or toasted. The bread can dry out quickly, so keep tightly wrapped in foil or plastic wrap. It will keep for 3-4 days.