Basic Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Dense & Delicious: Irish Soda Bread

If you aren’t familiar with baking bread from scratch, this recipe for a basic Irish soda bread is a great place to start. There’s no need to worry about the yeast, and you’ll be able to skip the more traditional and longer rising times.

There’s no way to sugar coat it, I’ve often found this type of bread to be dense, bland, and to be honest, a little boring. So I took the Barefoot Contessa’s lead and basic breakdown of ingredients to create three flavourful variations on this classic St. Patrick’s Day fare.

Basic Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

You’ll Need

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp cane or granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup cold butter, cut into ½-inch thick pieces
1 ¾ cups buttermilk
1 egg

Prep and Cook

1

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
3

Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
Whisk together the buttermilk and egg, and with the mixer running on low, slowly pour it into the dry ingredients.
The dough will be very wet. Gently stir in any desired add-ins.
4

With well-floured hands, turn the dough out onto a flour-dusted work surface.
Knead it a few times and shape it into a round loaf.
Transfer to a baking sheet and lightly slice an “x” into the top of the loaf with a serrated knife.
5

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and cooked through.
You’ll know it’s done when you tap on the bottom of the loaf and it has a hollow sound.
6

Cool the loaf on a baking rack and serve warm or at room temperature.