Description
Traditional Irish Soda Bread made with simple pantry ingredients. This quick bread uses baking soda as a leavening agent instead of yeast, combining flour, salt, and buttermilk to create a deliciously dense and hearty loaf with a crisp crust. Perfectly golden and ready in under an hour, it pairs wonderfully with butter and jam or as a side to any meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and lightly grease a baking sheet to prepare for the bread.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and seasoning.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Pour in the buttermilk and stir until just combined into a sticky dough; it’s normal for the dough to feel wet and sticky.
- Shape the Dough: Transfer the dough onto the greased baking sheet and gently form it into a round loaf. Use a sharp knife to cut a deep “X” across the top to allow even cooking and a traditional look.
- Bake: Place the loaf in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, indicating it’s fully baked.
- Cool: Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a rack before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter or your favorite spread.
Notes
- The buttermilk reacts with baking soda to create natural leavening, so do not substitute it with regular milk without an acid component.
- Scoring the top with an “X” is traditional and helps the bread rise evenly during baking.
- To test doneness, tap the bottom of the bread; a hollow sound means it’s baked through.
- For a denser loaf, use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Soda bread is best enjoyed fresh but can be stored wrapped at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for longer storage.
