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This Irish Soda Bread is simply epic! You canmake this beautiful loaf with simple common ingredients already found in your pantry! This is the only Irish Soda Bread recipe you’ll ever need!
OMG! Can you believe that this round perfect loaf with a criss-cross top can come out of your oven? Yes, believe it, believe it! Absolutely no baking experience is needed to make this beautiful Irish Soda Bread. This recipe is so easy and foolproof, there is absolutely no way to mess it up – no way whatsoever!
I’ve never seen a bread recipe as easy as this one! No kneading,no waiting for the dough to rise – just mix all ingredients, shape into a ball, cut the X on top and bake! Yes, making this pretty criss-cross crack on the top is that easy – just cut a cross into the dough with a knife, and it will bake into the criss-cross crust perfection!
Unlike the typical Irish soda bread recipes that use buttermilk, this one uses regular milk. After all, who’s got a bottle of buttermilk in the fridge? :) Not me, that’s for sure! This easy Irish Soda Bread recipe is using a mixture of milk and white vinegar instead of buttermilk. If you do want to use real buttermilk, you certainly can – just replace the milk and vinegar with 1 3/4 cup buttermilk.
So here is the Irish Soda Bread ingredient list: flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, milk, white vinegar and raisins – I told you the ingredients were simple :) Also, sugar and raisins are optional – feel free to leave them out. With just 2 tbsp of sugar, this Irish Soda Bread is still asavory bread, not a sweet bread. It has just a touch of sweetness – just right! Andit’s so yummy with raisins!
If you want a traditional Irish Soda Bread like they make in Ireland, leave out the sugar and raisins. Authentic Irish version has just 4 ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. The quantitiesof ingredients and the method of preparationremain the same!
This Irish Soda Bread is AMAZING with butter! Of course, every bread goes well with butter, but this one especially :) You owe it to yourself to butter this delicious Irish bread slice and eat it all up!
How To Make Irish Soda Bread Without Buttermilk
Step 1: Make The Dough
Mix milk and vinegar in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes, then combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix so they turn into dough.
Step 2:Shape Into A Flattened Ball
Put the dough on parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and shape into a flattened ball 8 inches in diameter.
Step 3: Cut a cross on top
With a sharp knife, cut an X through the dough on top (1/2 inch deep).
Step 4: Bake in a pre-heated 400F oven for 40 minutes.
That’s all there is to it! I told you that making this Irish Soda Bread with raisins was super easy :)
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Easy Irish Soda Bread With Raisins
This is the best Irish Soda Bread recipe ever! Super easy to make, this bread is so beautiful and tastes amazing! Uses all common ingredients already found in your pantry - no buttermilk needed!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Irish
Servings: 12 servings
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the milk and vinegar in a bowl, stir with a spoon and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a spoon again.
Put flour, baking soda, salt and sugar in another large bowl and stir to combine. Add the milk and vinegar mixture and raisins. Mix until all flour is incorporated (when the mixture is too tough to mix with a spoon, start mixing it with your hands).
Put the dough ball on a baking sheet. Shape the dough into flattened ball shape 8 inches in diameter. If the dough is too sticky to shape, wash your hands and then sprinkle your hands and the dough lightly with flour.
Cut an X on top of the dough circle with a sharp knife, about 1/2 inch deep.
Put the bread in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
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FAQs
If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can make a homemade “DIY” version. Whole milk or 2% milk is best, though lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch. Add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough cold milk to make 1 and 3/4 cups.
Why is buttermilk used in soda bread? ›
Unlike yeast breads, soda bread relies on the reaction between the bicarbonate of soda and the acid in the buttermilk to give it it's rise, as well as it's familiar flavour. In terms of texture, it is quite a dense bread and slightly chewy.
Does traditional Irish soda bread contain raisins? ›
Authentic Irish soda bread does not contain raisins, but I like mine with raisins so I include them. This is a very easy and delicious Irish soda bread recipe.
What is traditional Irish soda bread made of? ›
4 cups flour / 1 tsp baking soda / 1/2 tsp baking soda / thimble full of caraway seeds (1 tbsp) / 1 cup raisins/ 2 cups buttermilk (or milk with lemon juice or vinegar). Mix all dry ingredients, add buttermilk/ mix until it is blended/ place on floured cutting board and kneed and roll into a flat round loaf.
Can you use regular milk instead of buttermilk for bread? ›
Store bought buttermilk is a slightly sour milk that comes from a combination of milk and lactic acid. It is thicker than plain milk, with a subtle tang. In recipes that call for buttermilk, it is not recommended to replace buttermilk with plain milk, because the absence of acid will not produce the same end result.
Why is my Irish soda bread so dry? ›
It's important to remember no to overmix your ingredients. Irish Soda Bread is a dense bread, similar to a scone, but can easily become dry if overmixed. Quickly add the wet ingredients to a well you've made in the dry ingredients, and mix with your hands or a dough hook until it just comes together.
What's the difference between Irish soda bread and soda bread? ›
A soda bread defined in America
If you want to make an authentic Irish soda bread, the difference lies in what ingredients you should omit. According to Epicurious, Irish-American soda breads use caraway seeds and raisins in the recipe, while soda breads from Ireland lack both of these add-ins.
Why is my soda bread soggy in the middle? ›
You might have added too much baking soda, too little liquid or not baked it at high enough temperature.
Why is my Irish soda bread gummy? ›
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.
Do people in Ireland eat Irish soda bread? ›
Ireland, for one, has embraced it's kind of bread – the soda bread. It is a basic staple among the Irish that they call it Irish Soda Bread. It's common to see the locals pair this famous bread with a bottle of Guinness too.
For this reason, the reality is that Irish soda bread is much closer to a quick bread or scone than a loaf of bread. It rises thanks to a process called chemical leavening, in which the baking soda (a base) reacts when it's mixed with something acidic like buttermilk to produce carbon dioxide.
Why do you put a cross in Irish soda bread? ›
The Southern Irish regions bake their loaves in a classic round fashion and cut a cross on top of the bread. This was done for superstitious reasons, as families believed a cross on top of the bread would let the fairies out or ward off evil and protect the household.
Why is my Irish soda bread so crumbly? ›
Make sure you are using the correct amount of baking soda in the recipe. Too much or too little can result in a crumbly loaf. It's also possible that your oven wasn't hot enough when you baked the bread.
What is the myth behind Irish soda bread? ›
Contrary to a common misconceptions, the Irish did not import the Soda Bread recipe from the American Indians. This misconception is my fault because 30+ years ago on the original site I happened to mention Native Americans using Potash to make bread.
Does baking soda need buttermilk? ›
Baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) needs acidic ingredients to activate, so it is used in baking recipes that contain buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses, lemon juice, sour cream, cocoa powder, etc.
How do you improvise buttermilk? ›
For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how much you need.
How do I substitute buttermilk without milk? ›
In a bowl, combine lemon juice with almond milk to make “vegan buttermilk.” Set aside for a few minutes — it should curdle slightly. It won't thicken like buttermilk, but it has a similar effect in recipes. Use in vegan ranch, biscuits (or gluten-free biscuits), or anywhere else that calls for buttermilk.
Why is buttermilk used in bread? ›
Thanks to its acidity, buttermilk helps break down long strands of gluten and proteins in baked goods. That means every recipe that uses a splash of buttermilk is just a bit more tender than those that call for regular milk or water.
