Irish Soda Bread Recipe

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This classic quick bread relies on buttermilk and baking soda for its leavening. (Yep, that why soda's in the name.)

Irish Soda Bread
Photo: Lisa Hubbard
Hands On Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 10 mins
Yield:
16 serves

Irish soda bread is dense and soft on the inside, with a hard crust on the outside. This traditional Irish dessert is a classic quick bread, so it's one of the fastest loaves to make from scratch. It's also a great option if you want to bake bread without yeast.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the work surface

  • ½ cup whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled

  • 1 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

  • 1 cup raisins

  • 2 tablespoons caraway seeds

  • 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350° F.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. With your hands or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Add the raisins and caraway and mix to combine. Add the buttermilk and mix just until the dough comes together but is still slightly shaggy.

  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 8 to 10 times until a uniform dough forms. Shape the dough into a 7-inch round, about 1½ inches thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and score a large X in the top, about ¾ inch deep. Bake, rotating once, until the bread sounds hallow when tapped on the bottom, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

200 Calories
6g Fat
32g Carbs
4g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Calories 200
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 16mg 5%
Sodium 377mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 4g
Calcium 47mg 4%
Iron 2mg 11%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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