Irish soda bread is a wonderful traditional Irish quick bread with currants, caraway seeds and honey. Here is a simple make ahead mix recipe that is wonderful for gift giving or to whip up an Irish soda bread in just a few moments time.
Traditional Irish soda bread consisted of 4 simple ingredients, flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk.
4 cups all purpose flour.
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly grease and flour a cake pan.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, mixing well.
Add the buttermilk forming a sticky dough. Transfer to a floured surface and lightly knead.
Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.
If you’d prefer the “Spotted Dog” version, try this one:
“Spotted Dog” Irish Soda Bread You’ll Need:
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
1 c. dried currants or raisins
1/2 c. light-brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
Measure all ingredients into a large ziploc bag, seal & shake well. (This makes 1 package of Mix)
To Use:
Irish Soda Bread
1 package Irish Soda Bread Mix (as listed above)
1/2 c. butter softened
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
Cut the butter into the bread mix working it in with your fingers or a mixer until it resembles cornmeal. In a small bowl beat egg & buttermilk together and pour into the mix. Stir just enough to moisten evenly, but don’t over mix or your bread will be tough. Serve drizzled in honey.
Shape into a high round ball and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Make a criss-cross slash across the top Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes. Cool before slicing.
being 3/4 Irish, I really dislike when recipes like this say “traditional”. While they may be traditional to a family, they certainly are not the authentic Irish Soda Bread. If the recipe calls for anything other than flour, buttermilk (or sour milk), baking soda and salt, it is a modified version.
if it adds yeast or baking powder, sugar, eggs or items like that, it is now a cake and no longer bread. the peasants in ireland could not afford much and certainly not currants, caraway seeds, butter, and all the other “fancy” ingredients of our time. the true/authentic recipe is as follows:
4 cups all purpose flour.
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
14 oz of buttermilk or sour milk
Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly crease and flour a cake pan.
In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.
Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)
Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.
Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot). Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped so show it is done.
Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.
Thank you so much for adding your info!! Although not Irish, I grew up with a friend who is and her Mom used to make this all the time!! Everyone has a hard time finding a recipe that comes close to what she used to make, and of course she would never have had a need to write it down!!
I will be trying this out!
She also used to make what she called a potato bread, which she seemed to make similar (?) but it was done on the stove in a frying pan.
It wasn’t like a flat bread though, I don’t think! Have to search for that one!
Thanks again 🙂
just made the recipe that is posted in the article, not the one above in the comment section. my soda bread did nothing but crumble and was way too dry. i followed the directions exactly.
i think maybe the flour mixture needs cut in half or something?
When you measured the flour did you scoop it into the measuring cup or did you scoop the cup into the flour and pack the cup, that makes a huge difference.
soda bread dont have currents caraway seeds for a start off its brown soda bread not white wot you u have there is current white bread
lol your comment made me seriously laugh out loud, to the point of my family asking what i was roaring about, because when i read it i thought, yes, that soda bread is just about as irish as your post is english. hahahahaha
i think what you meant is, “soda bread doesn’t have currents, caraway seeds as it is a brown bread, not a white bread. what you have there is a current white bread.”
see how much easier it is to understand when you use actual english?
as for the recipe, this is a very common irish soda bread recipe. google it
dear english expert, they are currants, not currents. who’s laughing now??
Being from Enniscorthy co.Wexford Ireland, I can tell you, generations of my family would including my grandmother would add raisins (currants) to her bread all of the time. And the bread can be white or brown.