Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Traditional Irish Soda Bread: “Flour, salt, baking soda, buttermilk – anything else is tea cake.”

I visited Ireland a few years ago and I remember a bread baker telling me this as we toured his shop. And while you can find a thousand recipes for Traditional Irish Soda Bread – the American ones really like to add raisins – if it varies from these 4 basic ingredients, it’s not the real thing.  And you wouldn’t want the fae gettin’ all up in your business about that, now would ye?

Traditional Irish Soda Bread – It’s All About the Technique

The ingredients are simple, and so is the process, but it may not be intuitive. There are some techniques to making traditional irish soda bread that differ quite a bit from regular white bread.  No yeast, for one thing!  The rising takes place with bubbles formed by baking soda reacting with buttermilk.  Buttermilk is slightly acidic, so adding baking soda to it causes a bubbling reaction in the wet dough.  Baking in a hot oven causes the dough to set quickly, locking in those bubbles.  And cutting a cross on the top helps the heat penetrate further into the loaf so that the middle doesn’t come out raw.  (Be generous with that slicing, it’s not just decorative!)

Soda bread is the perfect accompaniment to my Irish Stew recipe. Try this recipe and see if you don’t notice a big difference!

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Print Recipe

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

“Flour, salt, baking soda, buttermilk – anything else is tea cake.”

I visited Ireland a few years ago and I remember a pub owner telling me this when I asked for the recipe for his delicious soda bread.  You can find a thousand recipes for Traditional Irish Soda Bread, but if it varies from these 4 basic ingredients, it’s not the real thing. And you wouldn’t want the fae gettin’ all up in your business about that, now would ye?

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: Authentic Irish Soda Bread

Servings: 8 Servings

Author: Don Herman

Ingredients

• 4 cups Flour I recommend pastry flour rather than all-purpose. Traditional Irish wheat is soft, and pastry flour will mimic this better.
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 to 1 3/4 cups Buttermilk or sour milk. The liquid required will be determined by the flour choice. If you use whole wheat you’ll need more liquid than the 1 cup.

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat sheet, or brush the sheet with melted butter or spray with non-stick spray.
• Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Gradually stir in 1 cup buttermilk, mixing gently with your fingers until dough is firm enough to be gathered into a ball. If dough crumbles, add more liquid 1 tbsp at a time, just until it holds together. Avoid kneading the bread! The less you handle it, the better!
• Place on a lightly floured board and pat into an 8-inch flattened round loaf. It will look a bit rough. It’s supposed to.
• Place the loaf on baking sheet and slash a 1/2-inch deep “X” into the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
• Bake at 425 degrees F for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden.

Notes

Serve warm with Irish Stew or Corned Beef and Cabbage. Sláinte!

For a good video that shows how you form and mark the loaf, click here.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread – Questions and Answers

What are the four ingredients in traditional Irish soda bread?
Just flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. That’s it — if a recipe adds more than that (sugar, eggs, raisins), it’s really more of a tea cake than authentic soda bread.

Why doesn’t Irish soda bread use yeast?
Soda bread gets its rise from a chemical reaction, not fermentation. The baking soda reacts with the acidic buttermilk, creating bubbles in the dough. A hot oven then sets the dough quickly, locking those bubbles in place before they can escape.

Why do you cut an X into the top of the loaf?
The cross-cut isn’t just for looks — it helps heat penetrate deeper into the loaf as it bakes, so the center cooks through fully instead of staying raw in the middle. Don’t be shy with the cut; it should go about a half-inch deep.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of pastry flour?
You can, but pastry flour is recommended because it more closely mimics the soft wheat traditionally used in Ireland. If you switch to whole wheat flour instead, you’ll need to increase the buttermilk beyond the standard 1 cup.

Why shouldn’t I knead soda bread dough?
Kneading develops gluten, which makes bread chewy and elastic — but that’s the opposite of what you want here. Soda bread should be handled as little as possible; overworking the dough leads to a tougher, denser loaf.

What can I substitute for buttermilk?
Sour milk works as a substitute if you don’t have buttermilk on hand. The exact amount you need will depend on your flour choice, so add it gradually until the dough just holds together.

What should I serve with Irish soda bread?
It’s the classic pairing for Irish Stew, and it’s equally good alongside Corned Beef and Cabbage. Serve it warm for the best texture.

Leave me a note and let me know how you liked the bread. I’d love to hear from you.