This Traditional Irish Soda Bread is made just like it should be and as its name implies. Nothing more than flour, buttermilk, baking soda and salt to make our white soda bread which is entirely the way it was meant to be enjoyed!
Traditional Irish Soda Bread (white bread) consists of only flour, buttermilk, baking soda and salt and is super easy to make!
Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe
If you start adding anything, and you have a different bread or tea cake entirely…such as ‘spotted dog’. That would be a more accurate name for a soda bread containing raisins.
Nothing against all of the wonderful variations that could be made, but a truly Traditional Irish Soda Bread would reflect that simplicity of what it was used for…like the ‘Wonder Bread’ of that early era in Ireland. So we choose to enjoy our Irish Soda Bread in this very simplistic form. And it is absolutely wonderful!
Never have I heard a complaint even begin to form on the lips of anyone that has tried our White Soda Bread. It’s a fantastic bread…and if you like buttermilk biscuits, you should enjoy this soda bread for sure!
This golden crusted loaf of Irish Soda Bread is intended for another fabulous recipe, a sweet Irish dessert that is the perfect use for any dried bread leftovers. This version using our two-day-old Irish Soda Bread takes the usual bread pudding to a whole new level!
We’ve paired our Irish Soda Bread Pudding (or Bread & Butter Pudding) with a super smooth and rich creme anglaise flavored with Bailey’s Irish Cream for the ultimate St. Patrick’s Day dessert!
Our Irish Soda bread torn apart and ready to butter!
How To Make Traditional Irish Soda Bread
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) and grease a 8 inch cake pan or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. *I prefer to use a set of the 2″ deep cake pans, grease the bottom cake pan and use the second as a lid to simulate the bastible that Irish Soda Bread was originally baked in.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and add the baking soda and salt. Stir to mix with the flour, then make a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and stir until a sticky dough is formed (even though the dough is sticky, it may be in pieces) (see video in the recipe card below).
- Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and knead the dough gently (to prevent the gas from escaping). Bring the dough together and shape into a 1 1/2 – 2 inch tall disc shape to fit into your 8 inch cake pan (this should be roughly the same size if you are baking on a baking sheet).
- Use a sharp knife to score a cross on the top of the dough (to bless the bread), then poke each of the four corners (traditionally done to allow the fairies to escape, otherwise they will jinx the bread).
- Cover the cake pan with the second cake pan and bake at 425 degrees (218 degrees C) for 30 minutes, then remove the top cake pan and finish baking for an additional 15 minutes. The bread will have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom crust.
- Turn the baked soda bread out of the cake pan and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. Break the bread loaf in half and cut into thick slices (or serve as 4-8 torn wedges) to be buttered.
*Cover the bread with a tea towel and mist with a spray bottle to keep your bread moist.
**Once your Traditional Irish Soda Bread is day old, it is perfect for making our Irish Soda Bread Pudding!
Traditional Irish Soda Bread Ingredients
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Buttermilk or buttermilk substitute
More Irish Recipes!
- Irish Lamb Stew
- Irish Nachos
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Irish Oatmeal Cake with Caramel Pecan Frosting
- Irish Apple Cake
- Traditional Irish Soda Bread (this page)
- Irish Soda Bread Pudding
- Irish Barmbrack
- Potato Leek Soup
- Apple Blackberry Crumble
Traditional Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) and grease a 8 inch cake pan or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. *I prefer to use a set of the 2" deep cake pans, grease the bottom cake pan and use the second as a lid to simulate the bastible that Irish Soda Bread was originally baked in.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and add the baking soda and salt. Stir to mix with the flour, then make a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and stir until a sticky dough is formed (even though the dough is sticky, it may be in pieces (see video)).
- Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and knead the dough gently (to prevent the gas from escaping). Bring the dough together and shape into a 1 1/2 - 2 inch tall disc shape to fit into your 8 inch cake pan (this should be roughly the same size if you are baking on a baking sheet).
- Use a sharp knife to score a cross on the top of the dough (to bless the bread), then poke each of the four corners (traditionally done to allow the fairies to escape, otherwise they will jinx the bread).
- Cover the cake pan with the second cake pan and bake at 425 degrees ( 218 degrees C) for 30 minutes, then remove the top cake pan and finish baking for an additional 15 minutes. The bread will have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom crust.
- Turn the baked soda bread out of the cake pan and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. Break the bread loaf in half and cut into thick slices (or serve as 4-8 torn wedges) to be buttered.
- *Cover the bread with a tea towel and mist with a spray bottle to keep your bread moist.**Once your Traditional Irish Soda Bread is day old, it is perfect for making our Irish Soda Bread Pudding!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma’s kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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