Traditional Irish Soda Bread
A rustic, four-ingredient loaf with a thick crust and tender crumb—designed for slathering with butter and dunking in a strong cup of Irish Breakfast tea.
Irish soda bread is one of the simplest breads in the world: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. No yeast, no rising time, no kneading. Mix, shape, score a cross on top, bake. Forty-five minutes from bowl to table.
The trick is the buttermilk. Its acidity reacts with the baking soda to create lift, and it also gives the bread its signature subtle tang. If you don't have buttermilk, stir 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar into 400 ml of milk and let it sit 5 minutes.
Resist the urge to overwork the dough. Mix just until it comes together. Overhandling develops gluten, which turns soda bread tough and dense instead of tender.
Scoring a deep cross on top is traditional (some say to let the fairies out, more practically to help the bread cook evenly through the middle). Serve warm, sliced thick, with cold salted Irish butter and a strong mug of Irish Breakfast tea.
Ingredients
- 450g all-purpose flour (or half whole-wheat for traditional brown soda)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 400 ml buttermilk (or 400 ml milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, rested 5 min)
- 1 tbsp rolled oats (optional, for topping)
- Cold salted Irish butter, for serving
- Sharp cheddar or marmalade (optional, for serving)
- A strong pot of Irish Breakfast tea, for serving
How to make it
- 1Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Lightly flour a baking tray or line with parchment.
- 2In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center.
- 3Pour buttermilk into the well. Using one hand or a wooden spoon, mix from the center outward until a shaggy dough forms. Do not knead.
- 4Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape into a round about 5 cm thick. Handle as little as possible.
- 5Place on the prepared tray. Cut a deep cross on top with a sharp knife, going about 2 cm into the dough. Scatter oats on top if using.
- 6Bake 35–40 minutes until the loaf is deeply golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- 7Cool on a rack at least 20 minutes. Best eaten warm the same day, with cold butter, sharp cheddar, and a strong mug of Irish Breakfast.
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