First of all, Irish soda bread is delicious. But, it is also super easy to make, which makes it an impressive addition to a morning brunch or unexpected dinner. Imagine showing up to brunch with a fresh and warm loaf of bread that you didn’t have to wake up before dawn to make!
The soda bread gets its name from one of its important ingredients: baking soda. Soda bread is a category of quick bread that does not use yeast to get is leavening. The leavening comes from the chemical reaction between the baking soda and the acidity of the buttermilk.
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 minutes.
- Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add most of the buttermilk.
- Mix the ingredients together. The dough should be soft, but not too wet. If the dough is too dry add any remaining buttermilk.
- Knead the dough slightly for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface.
- Form the dough into a large 8-9 inch circle and place in a parchment lined dutch oven or prepared baking sheet.
- Make a large cross or X on the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Place the lid on the dutch oven and then bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the bread is golden. Remove the lid of the dutch oven and continue baking for 5-10 minutes until the top of the bread has dried out slightly and become more crusty.
For this recipe, I baked the Irish soda bread in a dutch oven. But, I have also baked it freeform on a baking sheet or pizza stone for years. So don’t think you have to have a dutch oven for this recipe!
This bread goes great with some Irish stew, a seafood chowder, as the base for Irish/Welsh rarebit, or simply warm with butter or jam.
