This melt-in-your-mouth Irish soda bread recipe is ready to bake in just 10 minutes

Amid the cold, rainy weather of March, the bright glow of St. Patrick’s Day is welcome. I look forward to my corned beef, cabbage and potatoes every year, but nothing beats a slice of buttery Irish soda bread filled with raisins to top it all off. My family and I always buy several loaves of soda bread from various bakeries and farm stands in search of the best. This year, however, I decided to try something a little different: I discovered a recipe for Irish soda bread that’s ready to go in the oven in 10 minutes. The best part? The bread comes out perfectly golden and crispy with a delicious and soft middle! Keep reading to discover the simple soda bread recipe plus my home baker’s tips for making delicious bread in no time.

How is soda bread made?

Traditional soda bread contains flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk and, sometimes, raisins. Once these ingredients form a dough, it is shaped into a round loaf and baked. Although this bread is not made with yeast, the reaction between the baking soda and buttermilk produces carbon dioxide which helps the bread rise. This results in a soft cookie-flavored soda bread, with sweet notes from the raisins. Slices of this bread can be slathered with butter or served with hearty dishes like beef stew or corned beef and cabbage.

The popularity of soda bread

This bread became an integral part of Irish cuisine around the mid-1800s, as baking soda was more readily available than before. “The chemical magic between baking soda and an acidic substance was a discovery made by many scientists, but the unique combination of flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk eluded many of them, but it eventually became the recipe for daily bread in Ireland in the second half of the 19th century,” says Ed O’Dwyer, founder of the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread.

Although the accessibility of baking soda has contributed to the popularity of this bread, it is still popular because it does not require a long rising time like yeast breads do. This allows you to prepare the dough in just a few minutes before putting it in the oven. Talk about hassle-free homemade bread!

How to Make Delicious Irish Soda Bread

If you want to make your own Irish soda bread for St. Patrick’s Day, try this recipe from the food blog Stay at Home Chef. It only has 5 ingredients and can be prepared in just 45 minutes! (For more St. Patrick’s Day dishes, try these recipes for Irish Corned Beef, Cabbage, and Irish Stew.)

Easy Irish Soda Bread with Raisins

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 2½ cups flour, salt and baking soda. Add the buttermilk and raisins and stir until the dough comes together.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth ball forms. Gradually add more flour if necessary to make a firm, non-sticky dough.

4. Dust the exterior with flour and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to cut a cross one inch deep into the top of the loaf.

5. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a rack before slicing and serving.

Tips from the amateur baker for making this recipe

Knowing that my oven is getting a little old and no longer heats as well as it should, I preheated it to 445°F. If you have the same problem, I suggest you get an oven thermometer and check the true temperature of your oven. The temperature will determine how well your soda bread bakes.

Additionally, I found that 2½ cups of flour was almost the perfect amount when mixing the ingredients together. When I turned the dough out onto a wooden board, I added about ¼ cup of flour and only kneaded it lightly. (I prefer a bread that is very soft and full of moisture. But if you prefer a bread that is a little less doughy, add a little more flour until it reaches the desired consistency.)

My taste test

Biting into a thick slice of this Irish soda bread was heaven! The outside had a deeply satisfying crunch and the middle was perfectly soft and chewy, with just the right amount of raisins. I admit that the dough was just a little too salty for my taste (especially because I topped my slice with a knob of salted butter). In the future I will use one teaspoon of salt instead of two. Now that I know how easy it is to make soda bread, I will be making a loaf every St. Paddy’s Day in the future!

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