Irish Soda Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients for Irish soda bread? ›

Flour

Sodium bicarbonate

Salt

Buttermilk

Too much kneading will create a hard dense crumb on the bread. Rule of thumb with no yeast breads, the less kneading the softer the crumb. Score the bread. This is an important step to helping to ensure that the center is cooked.

However, the two loaves differ pretty significantly from there. Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like while Irish brown bread is more savory with a tender interior.

Tips for the Best Soda Bread

Do not over-mix – as with scones, the dough really just has to come together before baking. Sticky dough – the dough will feel sticky. Dust your work surface and hands with just enough flour to handle the dough. Cold ingredients – there's no reason to bring ingredients to room temperature.

And finally, don't immediately cut into the Fast Irish Soda bread when you pull it out of the oven. Although this bread is best served warm, cutting into it too quickly will turn the bread gummy.

Chances are good that the bread you ate suffered from one of three common problems: improper amount of baking soda (a gross, salty-bitter taste), over cooking (a dry, chalky texture), or undercooking (a soggy, doughy center).

Tightly wrap your leftover bread and place it in an airtight container. There's no need to refrigerate. As for how long soda bread lasts: Irish soda bread tends to dry out faster than other breads. The bread will be good for 3-4 days or up to three months if frozen.

The most traditional doneness test calls for thumping the hot bread in the center to hear if it's hollow-sounding. A more foolproof indication is temperature; the loaf will register 200°F to 205°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted in the center of the bread.

Nutrition Notes

Whole-wheat soda bread is a healthy addition to your plate! One serving—a 1/2-inch-thick slice—provides complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals.

How to Eat Irish Soda Bread. This versatile bread works for any meal, but Irish soda bread is a natural for breakfast, whether simply spread with (Irish) butter and jam or alongside that hearty fry-up known as a full Irish breakfast. It's also wonderful with a cup of tea in the afternoon or as a late-night snack.

What is another name for Irish soda bread? ›

Irish soda bread has a couple of other names, too: When we attended a class at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, they made this loaf and called it a Spotted Dog. It's also called white soda bread, American Irish soda bread, or fruit soda bread.

I was always told that the cross on the top of Irish Soda Bread was to symbolize the Catholic faith of Ireland, and the Gaelic Cross. Some say it kept the Devil out, but that is what a cross is supposed to do also. Turns out that is true but more importantly, it helps in the baking of the bread.

Your Bread Has Too Much Flour

Adding too much flour is one common mistake for beginning bakers. This produces dry bread with more crumbs. The key is finding the balance between flour and liquid ingredients in your recipe. It can be tricky because bread recipes don't always give you an exact amount of flour.

Why is my brown soda bread doughy in the middle? This is likely due to not baking the bread long enough, or at a hot enough temperature. Make sure to allow your oven to pre-heat fully before putting the bread in the oven. And, follow the directions exactly for baking temperatures and time.

This produces a rather dense bread that's absolutely delicious slathered in butter (particularly Irish butter, and perhaps with some jam). Even more so than yeasted breads, Irish soda bread doesn't have an especially long shelf life — it's best enjoyed the day it's made.

Irish soda bread is a traditional bread in Ireland that originated in the 1800s. Because of it's simple ingredients and methods, it allowed even the poor to make this bread in a cast iron pot over hot coals. Traditionally the bread does not contain sugar, egg, or butter.

Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO₃. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation (Na⁺) and a bicarbonate anion (HCO₃⁻).

The baking soda does the job of yeast and makes the bread rise. Since it's not as powerful as yeast, the bread is dense rather than fluffy. It's beautiful and delicious!

Branded as Nellie Duncan Irish Soda Bread, it appears to be made in New York, unlike the other local grocery store options. It also contained much simpler ingredients compared to its grocery counterparts: Nine ingredients include flour, water, sugar, soy oil, butter, milk, raisins, baking powder and salt.