Recipe from Darina Allen
Adapted by Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- 4(2,400)
- Notes
- Read community notes
While soda bread with add-ins like currants and caraway can be delicious, it's not at all authentic. In Ireland, soda bread tends to be plainer and more restrained. Here is a classic Irish soda bread recipe adapted from Darina Allen, an Irish television personality and the owner of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry. This soda bread is best eaten still steaming from the oven, slathered with good salted Irish butter that melts on contact with your slice. It’s a fine accompaniment to corned beef and cabbage, should you be making that dish this St. Paddy’s Day. Or make this recipe all year long. That’s how they do it in Ireland. —Melissa Clark
Featured in: For Purists, a Classic Version of Irish Soda Bread
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Ingredients
Yield:1 loaf, 8 to 12 servings
- 450grams all-purpose flour (about 3½ cups)
- 3grams fine sea salt (about ½ teaspoon)
- 4grams baking soda (about ¾ teaspoon)
- 1½cups buttermilk, more as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
174 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 188 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk. Using your hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft but not wet and sticky.
Step
2
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands. Knead the dough lightly for a few seconds, then pat the dough into a round about 1½ inches thick. Place it on a buttered baking sheet and using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross in the center of the dough reaching out all the way to the sides.
Step
3
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees, and continue to bake until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes longer. Serve warm.
Ratings
4
out of 5
2,400
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Cooking Notes
Emy
Loved this recipe! Was easy to make and turned out great! And I'm only 15. Lol. Will definitely make this again. ❤️
RAP
Most of us are celebrating our Irish American heritage, and caraway seeds are important. Much like corned beef, a tablespoon in reminds us of the Jewish-Irish mix on the Lower East Side.
Rachel
During the second world war in Northern Ireland we had very little butter and few eggs. We made soda bread this way, but used half white and half whole meal flour. No raisins and no caraway seeds. I still make it the same way.
Mike Feinerman
I think Nan's right. My grandmother's recipe is for a rich sweet version but I think that's the lace-curtain version, made for tea and for company, not the daily bread. The whole idea of traditional soda bread is it's made from only four ingredients that every Irish household, even the poorest, would always have and the poor could rarely afford sugar and butter and eggs for baking.
Micah
I have been using a 120 year old Irish soda bread recipe from my Kerry born great gma for many years-- I became accustomed to a bread so painful to eat that it was penitential, unless toasted and heavily buttered. Been longing for an edible soda bread, so I used this recipe as a base, but added: 1/4 c buttermilk and sugar; 1c raisins; 3T butter; one egg yolk; 1/4 t of baking soda and salt. The results were perfect.
Eve Hodnett
My husband is Irish. The trick to making authentic Irish soda bread is to use Irish flour. We order Odlums Wholemeal flour from Ireland online.
Rob-in-Philly
For the 'purists' in this discussion of authenticity, might I say, corned beef and cabbage is NOT an Irish tradition. RAP hit on it 'Irish Jewish Lower East Side'. The real tradition is Ham. In the immigrant East Side ham was 'expensive'. To the rescue came their also immigrant, Jewish neighbors, who led the way to the cheaper brine cured 'brisket'. Next up for discussion as a traditional recipe, Green BEER...lol! Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!
AFCR
I've been to Ireland several times, and this recipe tastes like the soda bread you get there, but they usually make their soda bread with half white flour and half wheat flour. I was surprised that some of the comments referred to the taste of soda in the bread. Hello, it's called soda bread, it's supposed to have a taste of soda, which is actually quite flavorful.
Don
Hi Jane! We lived in Ireland for a few years and that always happened to me until I asked a friend about it. You wrap the hot loaf in a tea towel, or dish towel. Maybe a couple of them. The steam from the cooling bread softens the bottom and top. Hope that helps.
Diane
You can use the normal buttermilk sub (1T lemon juice to 1c milk) and just use whatever non-dairy milk you prefer. Let it sit for 10 minutes then proceed with the recipe. Don't skip the lemon juice, you need the acid to react with the soda for leavening.
Doireann
Try wrapping in a teatowel as it cools. This helps soften the crust.
Sheila
The supermarkets seem to prefer raisins or currants in their soda bread. My grandmothers was plain like this recipe. And, she said that they would never make corned beef in the Ireland. Cows were too precious for their milk, cheese and butter to slaughter. If any meat was used it was bacon or pork. Pigs are prolific and a pig slaughtered would provide meat for the family for the winter. The beef was used only after they came to America with its huge herds of cattle.
Nan in CA
It may have been delicious, but it was more properly called Spotted Dick or Tea Bread. Soda bread has none of those ingredients.
John Mangan
My Irish father came over to the UK from Donegal in 1950 & made great soda bread but he made two loaves. One like this - the classic - and one with sultanas or raisins.Both deliciousSo both versions are totally authentic
karen
added dried currents
Andrea
Tough, hard crust even after wrapping in a clean tea towel after baking as others suggested. The best thing I can say is that it was easy to make. I’ll find something else just as easy to make next time I want a quick bread.
Rogers
Followed the directions to the letter all turned out ok served with the traditional corned beef and cabbage. Was great.
Tom
This is a great recipe. I made it for the first time as a bread for St Pat's day with corned beef cabbage etc. Everybody loved it. I made it with half all purpose white flour and half whole wheat. Also used low-fat buttermilk because that's what the store carried. I also baked it about 1 hour before serving it. Still warm from the oven was a big hit. Baking time was right on. I also used a sheet of parchment paper but it probably wasn't necessary
Gina
I did the first 15 minutes at 450 then put it on the top shelf and lowered the temp to 350 for about 10 minutes longer. It was so good to dip the bread into the juices of the Irish Stew.
laurabensonrn
I did have to cut down the bake time. It was done after 20 minutes at 400. The full 30 minutes would have been too long. Keep a close eye on the bake.
laurabensonrn
Followed the recipe with the exception of using low fat buttermilk (I picked up the wrong one accidentally). Very easy, very tasty. Will absolutely make this again.... and I don’t think the low fat milk made any difference.
boognish
Sort of tasty, but really, really dense. I'm not sure what to do to make it rise more. More kneading? More rest time before baking? More baking soda? 3/4 teaspoons of baking soda was more like one gram, instead of four. I opted to go with 1 tsp, but maybe I should have gone with the weight and put in like four tsp of baking soda.
Lona
It's a quick bread, not a yeast. Quick breads tend to be denser than yeast breads. Your soda bread was as it was supposed to be.
Eddie
Gave it a try , followed instructions. Bread did not rise much and crust was very hard. Tried the tea towel trick but didn't help.. This is my second attempt at soda bread . I'll try 1 more recipe, then go to the bakery.
Chellbelle
Try this one, its not “traditional” but goodhttps://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16947/amazingly-easy-irish-soda-bread/
ariella
I tried to make this today and it was a soggy mess. It ended up on my hands and fingers. I thought adding more flour would just fill the bowel with flour and adding more liquid would just make soup. I've made it before with plain yogurt because I couldn't find buttermilk and it turned out much better. Any ideas?
Christine
Did you follow the recipe using grams? I have a scale and I just measured out 450 grams of flour and it is only about 2 3/4 cups of flour. The recipe says 450 grams about 3 1/2 cups?
Terry
Same thing... didn't weigh but used volume measurements and was very sticky! Still baking so we'll see how it turns out.
Micah
I have been using a 120 year old Irish soda bread recipe from my Kerry born great gma for many years-- I became accustomed to a bread so painful to eat that it was penitential, unless toasted and heavily buttered. Been longing for an edible soda bread, so I used this recipe as a base, but added: 1/4 c buttermilk and sugar; 1c raisins; 3T butter; one egg yolk; 1/4 t of baking soda and salt. The results were perfect.
tom mackey
Won raves ... which I am unused to. Made as per recipe but added currents and put the dough on a pizza stone which pre-heated with the oven.
Jane
I followed everything in this recipe and the loaf looked great, however when I tried to slice it, the crust, top and bottom was so hard that it was impossible to cut through. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
Doireann
Try wrapping in a teatowel as it cools. This helps soften the crust.
Don
Hi Jane! We lived in Ireland for a few years and that always happened to me until I asked a friend about it. You wrap the hot loaf in a tea towel, or dish towel. Maybe a couple of them. The steam from the cooling bread softens the bottom and top. Hope that helps.
SLSD
Using a serrated knife always makes slicing homemade bread easier.
Jean
To introduce a whole wheat version, I exchange up to 1/2 of the white flour with a combination of whole wheat flour a couple of tablespoons of each wheat germ and wheat bran. This combination makes a loaf more the loaves made in Ireland. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter if you want the loaf to keep fresh for longer.
Emy
Loved this recipe! Was easy to make and turned out great! And I'm only 15. Lol. Will definitely make this again. ❤️
Thomas Moore
am no baker, and while this is about the simplest bread recipe - till i wasn't sure I'd combined parts correctly - but even w/my ignorance the 1st attempt turned out well, i thought (as did my wife and son). ate it fresh from oven with apple slices on the side and lots of butter on the bread slices. very good. would be perfect with a greasy and/or salty broth. Will make this again. Thanks. Oh, and you can't score it too deeply - i scored to the pan (then pushed together quarters & it worked.
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