Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe With Buttermilk

Traditional Irish Soda Bread is a delicious, easy 4-ingredient quick bread recipe with a moist, cakey crumb, a hint of tang, and encased by a thick golden crust. No four-leaf clover required! Soda bread is perfect for sopping up a hearty stew or soup.

We love a good quick bread recipe around here; from savory to sweet, these tasty bakery goodies are delicious any time. Try savory Dilly Cheese Bread or cheesy Hard Apple Cider Bread. You’ll love Peanut Butter Banana Bread, Pineapple-Banana Hummingbird Cake, or Easy Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread for a sweet treat.

Why Irish Soda Bread Is So Amazing

First, you can have soda bread dough ready for the oven by the time a pot of coffee is done brewing! Literally, four ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk make a hearty golden loaf.

• No Proofing: mix and shape
• Minimal kneading: combine and bake
• Inexpensive: only 4 ingredients
• Unique Texture: dense, cakey crumb 
• Traditional: firm golden brown crust

Ingredients For Irish Soda Bread

I highly recommend weighing the ingredients for consistent results, especially for soda bread recipes. Trust me when I tell you a kitchen scale is your friend! 🙂 The standard measures and weights are on the Irish soda bread Recipe Card below.

For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• All-Purpose Flour – fluff, spoon, and level flour with the back of a knife. It is important not to compact the flour by scooping it out with a measuring cup. For the best results, weigh out 438 grams.
• Kosher Salt – coarse-grained salt (has more flavor than table salt)  4.5 grams 
• Baking Soda – must be fresh and highly reactive.* See baker’s note on how to test baking soda for freshness. 
• Buttermilk – or soured milk. The acid activates the baking soda and creates air bubbles, so the soda bread will rise when baking. 337 grams

*Baker’s Note: Test your baking soda by placing a few tablespoons of vinegar in a small dish and stirring in a teaspoon of baking soda. The mixture should immediately begin to fizz if the baking soda is still active; if there’s little to no reaction, it’s time to replace it.

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How To Make Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe With Buttermilk

Making Irish soda bread is quicker and easier than most people expect, and it’s soooo yummy! A good rule of thumb for any new recipe, and more so with any bread recipe, is to read it through first. You’ll notice you refine your technique each time you make hearty traditional soda bread with buttermilk in all its tangy glory.

When you are making this recipe, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

1. Whisk the three dry ingredients together and make a well in the center. Pour the buttermilk into the well and gently combine the soda bread ingredients until a tacky dough forms.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface, kneading it gently about 4 times. 
3. Pat the soda bread dough into a round disk. Lightly sprinkle with flour, score with a large X on the top, and puncture a slit in every quarter. 
4. Bake Irish soda bread in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down 50° F and continue baking for another 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Turn the soda bread over and bake for 5 more minutes until tapping the bottom of the loaf makes a hollow sound. 
5. Serve warm with Irish butter or homemade freezer jam, and enjoy!

How To Store Irish Soda Bread

Well-wrapped soda bread can last 2-3 days on the counter. No need to refrigerate.

Freeze

Soda bread freezes well for a couple of months if wrapped properly. Start with plastic wrap, covered in foil, then in an airtight container or plastic freezer bag.

Thaw – If you slice your soda bread loaf before freezing, you can remove just what you need. Either way, thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter.

Revive

If the crust hardens on the counter or in the fridge, sprinkle/rub water on it, wrap it in foil, and warm through. Another option is to heat the bread until hot on a baking sheet, turn off the heat and cover it with a clean, damp kitchen towel. The steam will soften the crust right up!

Serving Suggestions

What is soda bread traditionally served with?

I don’t know if anyone can start off without a warm slice of traditional Irish soda bread slathered with salted butter. After that most enjoyable treat, here are a few other ways to enjoy soda bread.

• Brighten your toasted soda bread with Orange Honey Butter.
• For a sassy sweet treat, try Cinnamon Honey Butter or any spread.
• Savory slow cooker Mississippi Pot Roast.
• Zesty Roasted Red Pepper Fettucini with snappy smoked sausage.
• It’s hard to find a soup or chili recipe that won’t be friends with soda bread!

Irish Soda Bread Add-Ins

When you feel like fancying up your traditional Irish soda bread, you can easily go sweet, savory, or both with a couple of add-ins. If you’d like to “crust” your loaf with a seasoning, spread some buttermilk over the top and sprinkle with a spice or herb of your choice, maybe a touch of kosher salt. That sounds so good right now!

• Currents, Raisins, or Sultanas
• Caraway Seeds 
• Garlic & Rosemary
• Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

What Is A Traditional Irish Soda Bread?

As the name implies, Irish soda bread is a quick bread recipe that pivots around baking soda, the leavening agent. The “Irish” in the recipe title is due to the people’s dependence during one of the most well-known famines in Ireland that decimated a large portion of their population.

Soda bread became an inexpensive and lifesaving stop-gap for the destitute Irish during the potato famine of 1845-1852. A traditional soda bread recipe uses only four ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda (alkaline), and sour milk (acidic). The chemical reaction between alkali and acid creates carbon dioxide (CO2) bubbles.

As the potato famine wore on, food and money were scarce, and yeast was no longer obtainable for both reasons. But bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) was a cheap alternative, and sour milk was readily available from the local dairy, an unintentional “re-purposing” of a waste product. You gotta love that! Coupling these two simple ingredients gives soda bread its unique taste, texture, and tummy-filling comfort.