Annie’s Irish Soda Bread
Studded with raisins and caraway seeds, this traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe needs just a bit of butter and a good New England Boiled Dinner.
By Yankee Magazine|Mar 11 2022|
Annie's Irish Soda Bread
Photo Credit: Heath RobbinsThe secret to good Irish Soda Bread is not to overwork the dough. Studded with raisins and caraway seeds, this traditional Irish fare needs just a bit of butter.
Note: No Buttermilk? Substitute with whichever sour dairy product you happen to have around: either plain, natural yogurt (don’t use the kind with vegetable gums, thickeners, or stabilizers) or soured milk (combine milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar per cup and let sit 5 minutes). Beat the yogurt lightly to thin it before adding.
See More:
St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
Irish Soda Bread with Apples and Currants
Irish Soda Bread French Toast
Yield:
1 loaf
Total Time:
30 minutesIngredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)
1 cup regular or golden raisins (or sultanas)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter, caraway seeds (if desired), and raisins. Combine just until incorporated.
In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg. Add to dough and mix just until incorporated.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and fold it over onto itself two or three times, shaping it into a round, 8-inch loaf. Transfer loaf to a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat (a nonstick silicone baking mat). Score an “X” on the top of the dough.
Bake 45 minutes, until well-browned and a toothpick plunged into the center emerges clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Serve with butter and your favorite jam or preserves.
I made this earlier today and just had two pieces with apricot jam on top. Delicious.
I made two loafs of the soda bread yesterday … easy and delicious, sent a loaf home with the grandboys.
Can you just mix by hand? Don’t have a paddle mixer……..
This is great American-Irish soda bread. Sort of like a scone but less sweet. Best recipe I’ve ever tried for soda bread – and I’ve tried many!
Real Irish Soda Bread as my mother from Ireland made had no eggs, a little more butter and buttermilk. They used what was on the farm and eggs were too valuable to put into the bread.
They don’t traditionally eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day either, but we do like to shake things up here in the U.S. and show off our good fortune on such an auspicious day, don’t we?
Excellent recipe easy to use directions
I made it into biscuits cooked for 20 minutes
Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!
I made this bread in a cast iron pan,only cooked for only 30 min[fast oven] .delicious.
Made this last year and it was a hit, will make again.
The plural of “loaf” is “loaves.”
I tried this recipe a few days ago. The bread is easy to make and is delicious. I put half in the freezer and hope it will taste just as good at a later date. Will definitely make again.
Made it Wednesday, had to have been one of the best recipes for Soda Bread that I have ever made. Thank you
Being Irish we celebrate in a very big way, the meal being the best part. Love soda bread, but don’t like caraway in it. Made this without caraway and was really great, everyone enjoyed it.
Best when made in a cast-iron fry-pan!
The only way! I still have my grandmother’s old black cast-iron pan, and only use it for Irish bread.
That pan is great for cornbread and biscuits too! And pineapple upside down cake….
I will make this recipe in honor or my lovely best ever Irish friend Brenda who died too early not too long ago – along with the boiled dinner that I do yearly or more often.
Made this for the first time. Decided to double the recipe. Only had enough caraway seeds for one but went ahead. Totally forgot the baking soda. Baked it in the convection oven so I could bake them both at the same time. Had to put it in for another 25 mins. Turned out delicious. We ate it without butter, etc. as an appetizer with our wine. Great way to start our St. Paddy’s Day meal. 10 people really enjoyed it. Anxious to make it again but with baking soda this time. Lol.
I agree with Sheila, don’t like the caraway at all, had it once and never again. Caraway goes in Sauerkraut, not soda bread.
Never put caraway in my soda bread. I only use Irish butter. This recipe is almost the same as mine except instead of sugar I use 1/2c of honey. I whip extra Irish butter with some honey to spread on the bread or my Cranberry-Oatmeal scones.
OMG I just made this and it is absolutely delicious ! It came out so soft and moist. I baked it in a cast iron skillet and it worked perfectly.
I was a little worried because the dough was sticky, I didn’t overwork it or add flour to compensate just enough to get a round smooth loaf. I was so happy it came out so good. This is definitely going in my recipe folder.
made this recipe, it was a hit, the fastest done for a new recipe, and tasting great!!
Very similar to my recipe, I use less sugar& lots of caraway seed. It’s my grandmother’s recipe & her mother was from Ireland, soI feel it’s authentic. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all.
This was delicious! Used half dried cranberries/half currants, satisfied the ‘American’ Soda Bread fans; made a traditional brown bread (from another publication) as well. Made two small loaves baked in 6″ cake pans, and all was smuggled away by the guests by the end of the meal. Thank you, Annie Copp!