This Irish Soda Bread recipe is an easy no yeast, no-knead bread that uses only 5 ingredients. If you think you can't make bread, think again! This simple recipe will have you enjoying a soft, dense, crusty soda bread with only 10 minutes of prep. A great addition to any St. Patrick's Day dinner.
Table of contents
Easy 5-Ingredient Bread
This is one of the easiest breads you'll ever make! Just two cake pans, five ingredients, ten minutes of prep, and pop it in the oven for 40 minutes. No kneading necessary! And it's not just for dinner! It pairs well with butter and jam for breakfast or with cheese as an appetizer.
Once baked, this bread has the texture somewhere between a biscuit and standard yeast bread and goes deliciously with just about any dinner, any time of year. But I can't imagine a St. Patrick's Day without it!
What is Irish Soda Bread
Bread soda, or baking soda, was introduced back in the early 1800s and allowed people without ovens to make soda bread.
They would use basic wheat flour and salt, buttermilk from their cows, add bread soda, and pop into a cast iron pot. They'd cover the iron pot and place it right on the coals to bake. Now, Irish Soda Bread is considered a basic table bread in Ireland and sold in most commercial shops. Yes, it surely is an Irish original.
How to Eat Irish Soda Bread
This beautifully crisp crusted bread has a soft, dense interior that goes great smeared with a pat or two of butter. It's best eaten warm, and goes well with corned beef but also with stews, like Greek Beef Stew, and hearty soups. Believe me, there's nothing better than fresh, warm bread to take center stage on the table!
Best Flour to Use for Soda Bread
Whole wheat flour, or even better Irish Wholemeal flour, is the traditional flour of soda bread. It gives the bread all its texture and flavor imparting a slightly nutty taste to the end result.
However, white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour can be substituted as it is more readily available here in the U.S. The bread will be a bit sweeter and more cake-like than the Irish flour equivalent but still oh so tasty.
Note: You can add in a little bran and germ to your all-purpose flour to duplicate the nutty flavor that wholemeal flour provides.
Soda Bread Ingredients
Flour is the basis of the bread, and can be either all-purpose or wheat flour, or a combination of the two.
Buttermilk is a traditional ingredient in all Irish soda bread recipes. Its acidity reacts with baking soda, acting as the leavening agent, and gives the bread its texture. It also provides the bread's wonderful flavor!
Baking soda is an essential ingredient in order for the bread to rise.
Salt enhances the flavor.
Sugar can be added or omitted but does give the bread a touch of sweetness.
How to Make Irish Bread
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Pour buttermilk into the flour mixture.
- Using your hands, gently work the dough together, just to moisten, then pour it out onto floured work surface.
- Work together for just 30 seconds or until dough holds together.
Pro-Tip: Handle this bread as little as possible as over-handling will lead to tough bread.
- Place the dough ball in the center of a 9" greased and floured cake pan.
- Cut an X in the top of the bread about ¼-1/2" deep. This will allow the heat to penetrate into the thicker part of the bread and allow the dough to expand as it rises.
- All ready to bake.
- Place a clean 9" cake pan over the top of the bread and pop it into the oven for about 40 minutes. Take the pan off the top for the last 15 minutes so the top can brown
Isn't this buttermilk soda bread just making you drool? And, once you make it, you'll have to admit, it took hardly any work at all!
How to Serve Irish Soda Bread
Serve this bread warm with your St. Patrick's Day corned beef dinner, Shepherd's Pie, or any stew, such as Beef and Mushroom Stew. It even goes well with a hearty soup. It's a very versatile bread and can even be served toasted for breakfast with your favorite jam.
Freezing/Storing
Storing: Irish Soda Bread is best eaten warm or within the first several hours as this type of bread tends to dry out rather quickly. When storing leftovers, place it in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Freeze: Wrap it tightly in foil then a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
The X or cross cut in the top of the bread is actually there to allow the heat to penetrate the thickest part of the bread so it cooks evenly.
As Ireland was a Catholic country, it is known as the cruciform shape, symbolic of crossing the bread or blessing it. It also makes the bread easier to break apart, symbolic of breaking of the bread. If you want to go the superstitious route, there's a saying that it's to let the devil out of the bread.
Flip the bread onto your hand that has a potholder on it and thump the bottom with your other hand. If it sounds hollow, it is done.
A soda bread is soft and dense and has a very mild flavor. Its texture is somewhere between a biscuit and a bread and is designed to be eaten with other flavors such as butter or jelly. Of course, this bread makes the best corned beef sandwiches!
More Recipes for St Patrick's Day
Instant Pot Corned Beef with Beer - An easy instant pot recipe for the most flavorful corned beef. It's cooked in beef stock and dark beer and surrounded by potatoes, carrots, and onions for a hearty one-pot dinner.
Air Fryer Corned Beef Hash - A quick and easy way to use up leftover corned beef for a delicious breakfast. Just 13 minutes and breakfast is served.
Guinness and Irish Cheddar Mac & Cheese from Celebrating Sweets - Flavorful stovetop mac and cheese with Guinness, sharp cheddar, and dijon mustard.
Grasshopper Pie - A cool and minty green pie with an Oreo cookie crust.
Find lots more quick bread recipes here on 2CM!
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5-Ingredient Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9" cake pan with a nonstick spray and dust with flour. Have another cake pan ready on the side (no prep needed).
- In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.
- Add buttermilk and mix well to form a dough.
- Dump out on a floured surface and knead for 30 seconds to incorporate all the flour. Do not over mix or the bread will be tough.
- Place dough into prepared cake pan and form into an oval mound. Cut an "X" in the dough, all the way across and about ¼" deep. Place the other cake pan on top.
- Bake in oven for a total of 40-45 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove top cake pan and let bread cook for another 10-15 minutes to brown the top. Remove from oven and test for doneness by tapping lightly on the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, it is done.
- Remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated with more information and was first published on March 10, 2019.
