Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day quite like a warm, rustic loaf of Irish Soda Bread. This simple yet iconic bread has been a staple in Irish kitchens for generations, offering a hearty and satisfying bite without the need for yeast.
For the March Bread of the Month (BOM), the Artisan Bread Baker’s group embraced this tradition, baking their versions of soda bread in a virtual celebration led by Phyl Of Cabbages & King Cakes.
What is Irish Soda Bread?
Traditional Irish soda bread is a marvel of simplicity, made with just four essential ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Historically, Irish bakers relied on “bread soda” instead of yeast due to the soft wheat grown in Ireland, which made yeast-leavened bread less practical.
Traditionally baked on a griddle over an open fire or in a bastable (a type of Dutch oven), soda bread remains a beloved staple in many Irish homes today, often scored with a cross on top for both practical and symbolic reasons.
How to Make a Buttermilk Plant
Buttermilk is an essential ingredient in traditional soda breads so I decided to learn how to make a buttermilk plant. The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda and creates gases to make the bread rise. This reaction is very quick so be sure to have a hot oven ready and bake the bread right away before the gas dissipates.
Buttermilk can be cultured quite easily using a buttermilk plant. Here is a recipe to make a buttermilk plant for use in Irish Soda Breads and other recipes that call for buttermilk.
This soda bread was pretty moist. I liked it! It didn’t have raisins or currants in it so it reminded me of a big biscuit! It tasted good with butter and homemade citrus marmalade.
To view more Irish Bread Recipes, click here.
The recipe below, adapted from Jeff Smith, aka The Frugal Gourmet, makes two loaves. I halved the recipe to make one loaf and baked it in a ceramic dish rather than freeform.
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Irish Soda Bread
- Yield: 2 Loaves 1x
Description
Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day quite like a warm, rustic loaf of Irish Soda Bread. This simple yet iconic bread has been a staple in Irish kitchens for generations, offering a hearty and satisfying bite without the need for yeast.
Ingredients
720 grams (6 cups) all-purpose flour
16 grams (2 tsp) baking soda
8 grams (2 tsp) baking powder
24 grams (3 Tbsp.) cornstarch
8 grams (2 tsp) sugar
6 grams (1 tsp) salt
568 grams (2 1/2 cups) buttermilk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix very well. Pour all of the buttermilk into the bowl at once and stir, using a wooden spoon, just till a soft dough is formed.
Pour the contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a minute or so till everything comes together.
Divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a round loaf, pressing the top down a bit to just barely flatten it. Place the loaves on a large ungreased baking sheet.
Sprinkle with additional flour on the top. Using a sharp knife, make the sign of a Cross in slashes on the top of the loaf.
Allow the loaves to rest for 10 minutes and then bake on the middle rack for 40 minutes or till the loaves are golden brown and done to taste.
Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool before slicing or serving.
Soda bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for two to three days; it is best served warm or toasted.
- Category: Soda Bread
- Method: Quick Bread
- Cuisine: Irish
Happy Baking!
Cathy
Natashya KitchenPuppies says
Looks great! I like that it is baked in the pot, keeps it from spreading out!
I tried to look at the artisan baker’s link but it won’t let me as I don’t have a facebook account.
Cathy (breadexperience) says
Thanks Natashya! I’ll check the link.
Natashya KitchenPuppies says
I signed up for FB to look at the group. How pathetic am I?! Now I have no idea what to do in FB.. 😉
Cathy (breadexperience) says
Good for you Natashya! Glad you finally took the plunge! Just jump in and join the fun!
gaaarp says
Nice job! And I love that your dish is green! I liked this recipe, too. You’re right; it is more moist than a lot of soda bread recipes.
Natashya, the only thing worth doing on FB is joining the Artisan Bread Bakers group. (And maybe the Modern Baker Challenge group.)
Anonymous says
The size of this loaf is way too big for me to eat in a day or two, how does it fare when frozen?
Also, what size is the casserole it’s baked in?
Thanks, your breads look delicious!
Libby
Cathy (breadexperience) says
Hi Libby, I haven’t tried freezing this bread, but it’s kind of a crumbly bread so I’m not sure how it would do. I used a 1-qt casserole dish that is 7″ in diameter at the top and 6″ in diameter on the bottom and about 3 1/4 inches in depth. I halved the recipe because it was too much for me to eat.
Anonymous says
Thanks for your reply!. (Sorry it took so long to get back.) Making a smaller loaf seems like the answer.
Take care,
Libby