This Irish Soda Bread is an easy way to enjoy a crusty, tender hand kneaded bread. Enjoy it with raisins or currants. And loads of Irish butter!
This is an easy Traditional Irish Soda Bread that is just like how grandma makes. It’s a simple recipe that requires very little kneading so anyone can make it with confidence.
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I love holidays, especially for the food part of them all.
At Thanksgiving, you get loads of yummy turkey. Then, there’s the cookies at Christmas. Valentine’s Day and Easter bring fond memories of chocolate- in heart and bunny form.
Snuck between them is St Patrick’s day when you get to enjoy lots of delicious beer, corned beef, and lots of Irish Soda Bread.
Easy Irish Soda Bread
I really look forward to this time of year so I indulge in loads of Irish Soda Bread slathered in butter.
In high school I would sit on the kitchen counter of my boyfriend’s house and eat slivers of it while talking to his mom as we watched Oprah or Dora the Explorer (for his younger sister).
Even since then, I’ve been hooked on Irish Soda bread. Thankfully, it’s easy to make so you can enjoy it all year round in under an hour once that craving hits.
When making this Irish Soda Bread, you want to make sure you have buttermilk and good quality butter on hand. I’ve made this was faux buttermilk (milk + lemon), and using buttermilk produces a far superior Irish Soda Bread. Same goes for the butter. In fact, I suggest using an Irish butter, such as Kerrygold.
This recipe is great but you only need a mixing bowl and your hands. Easy peasy to mix up and knead.
Just make sure your surface is well floured so that you can easily and quickly worth the dough.
I enjoy using currants in Irish Soda Bread, but raisins are just as great too. I suggest golden raisins as they are pretty in color and flavor.
If you are feeling really adventurous, you can use cranberries with a bit of orange zest. It makes it less traditional, but still really delicious.
You’ll be so thankful that this yummy recipe makes 2 loaves because you’ll be surprised how quickly the first one disappears. You’ll need that 2nd one before you know it. And, be sure to get that butter ready to slather on your freshly baked Irish Soda Bread! Yum!
Is Irish Soda Bread actually Irish?
Like, German’s Chocolate Cake, that is not actually German, what we know as Irish Soda bread isn’t actually that Irish. There have been plenty of adaptions to the tradition soda bread making it what we enjoy today. No matter the accuracy, I think we can all agree that this is delicious.
What leaven agent do you use in this bread?
This bread is called Soda bread because it uses baking soda as the leavening agent.
More Yummy Recipes to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
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Easy Irish Soda Bread
This Irish Soda Bread is an easy way to enjoy a crusty, tender hand kneaded bread. Enjoy it with raisins or currants. And loads of Irish butter!
Ingredients
- 4 cups (480 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup (44 g) granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 cups (140 g) currants or raisins
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1-3/4 cup (420 ml) buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon milk
- granulated sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F/190° C. (If you are using dark nonstick pans, preheat oven to 350° F/175° C.)
- Combine flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and sugar. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Stir in the currants.
- Combine egg and buttermilk and add to dry ingredients. Stir until blended.
- Turn the dough out onto a wooden board sprinkled with flour. Knead the dough for a minute, no longer. If the dough is a little sticky, dust with some extra flour. Take care not to overwork the dough, or the bread will be tough.
- Divide dough in half and shape each into a round loaf. Place each loaf into an 8-inch round cake pan or on a large baking sheet. Cut a cross on top of each loaf, about 1/2-inch deep. Then brush each with milk and sprinkle sugar on the top.
- Bake 35-40 minutes until golden. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. Slice to serve.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Amy Meyer
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 411mgCarbohydrates: 35gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 5g
