Soft & Sweet Irish Soda Bread

A fresh and fruity take on a classic

Friends, hello! It’s been so cold here these past two weeks, but the sun has been shining brightly and the longer days are a welcome reminder that warmer weather will soon be on its way.

Today’s recipe is a sweeter take on traditional Irish soda bread. Beginner-friendly, it’s one of the easiest bread recipes you will ever make. Simply mix together the ingredients, shape your loaf by hand and it emerges from the oven with the perfect crumb—no yeast or rise time required.

Irish soda bread is a yeast-free quick bread that gets it’s rise from baking soda and buttermilk. This untraditional version has a scone-like texture created with the addition of butter and requires just 10 minutes of hands-on prep time. Using simple pantry staple ingredients, it’s baked in a dry cast iron skillet then sliced and served up with lots of butter and honey.

Made with a combination of raisins and dried cranberries and lightly sweetened with brown sugar, this Irish soda bread is dense yet soft with the most incredible crusty exterior. And because it doesn’t require any rise time, you can have it baked up for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea in an hour.

A few notes to consider:

The addition of an egg alters the texture by making the bread a little denser and heartier. Omitting it will result in a slightly lighter, fluffier loaf without any further adjustments.

To make your own buttermilk simply add 1 tablespoon + ¼ teaspoon white or cider vinegar to 1¼ cups milk, stir and let sit for 15 minutes until thickened.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use any oven-safe baking dish or even a Dutch oven, uncovered to allow air to circulate.

Delicious served still warm from the oven, this Irish soda bread is even better the next day grilled or toasted with butter. For a savoury take, try my Irish Soda Bread with Aged Cheddar.

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Soft & Sweet Irish Soda Bread

Servings: 4-6

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 cups (390 g) bread flour

• ¼ cup (50 g) dark brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda

• 1 teaspoon (3 g) kosher or fine sea salt

• 2 tablespoons (28 g) cold butter

• 1¼ cups (300 g) buttermilk

• 1 egg, whisked into the buttermilk

• ½ cup (75 g) raisins, cleaned and separated

• ½ cup (60 g) dried cranberries, cleaned and separated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry cutter or box grater, cut or grate the cold butter into the flour then gently stir until distributed throughout.

3. Make a well and pour in buttermilk and egg and stir or mix by hand just until the ingredients begin to come together. Fold in raisins and dried cranberries and keep turning the dough until it starts to look a little sticky and stringy.

4. Pull dough out onto a floured surface and, using floured hands, fold, turn and shape it into a ball.

5. Score the top of the loaf with an ‘X’ to allow even heat distribution, then place it into a cast iron skillet or baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and it sounds hollow when you knock on it. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire cooling rack then slice once it’s cool enough to handle.

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