Discover how you can make this easy Irish soda bread yourself. This soda bread with cranberries and rosemary is a delicious crunchy bread. Follow this simple recipe for artisan soda bread. You don't even need to knead and rise. Baking has never been so easy. And this Irish homemade bread is your go-to place for an easy Irish soda bread recipe perfect for St. Patrick's Day.
Homemade Soda Bread: Simple and Tasty Recipe
Do you like baking bread? And are you in need of an easy bread recipe? And do you have little time to knead everything well and then let it rise twice? No problem. Then make this delicious classic Irish soda bread. It's one of the quickest bread recipes I know. Containing simple ingredients you've probably already have in your pantry.
You can bake a loaf of traditional soda bread, but you can also twist it, as I did with cranberries and rosemary (if you don't want that, just leave it out).
And in this case, you don't use yeast but baking soda (baking soda) to make the bread rise, together with flour, salt, and buttermilk, the stars of this recipe. Mix them into a cohesive dough and form a rustic loaf. Bake in the oven, and the kitchen will smell like freshly baked bread (my favorite smell).
What you get is a very tasty but also airy bread. When you cut off a slice of bread with your knife, you first go through the crispy crust and then through the airy inside. A perfect texture and taste. This is baking bread very easily.
What do you need for Homemade Quick Soda Bread Recipe?
To prepare this Easy Irish Soda Bread, you require the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
Ingredients Soda bread (basic recipe)
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used in this bread.
- Baking soda: aka sodium bicarbonate. Makes the soy bread airy. It is stronger than an equal amount of baking soda. When using baking soda, you always require an acid (in this case, buttermilk).
- Salt: Balances the taste of the bread.
- Buttermilk: Has a full, slightly sour taste. It is traditionally a by-product when butter is made. Today, it is usually made by adding lactic acid bacteria to skim milk.
Ingredients Filling
- Sugar: For a light sweetness in the bread. It is optional and can be omitted, but very tasty in combination with the cranberries and rosemary.
- Cranberries: This juicy, sour fruit is wonderfully fruity. Use dried cranberries.
- Rosemary: Has a bittersweet taste (and smells great).
How to prepare Rosemary Cranberry Soda Bread
- Sift the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the filling: cranberries, finely chopped rosemary, and sugar. Make a hole in the center.
- Pour in the buttermilk and stir quickly with a wooden spoon. Add a little more buttermilk if the dough does not stick enough or falls apart. The dough should be slightly sticky. Knead the dough lightly on a floured work surface. Do not knead too long. Otherwise, the bread will become dry.
- Shape the dough into a round loaf with a diameter of about 6 inches (ca. 15 cm). Use a serrated knife and make a cross at the top of the bread.
- Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake the bread in a preheated oven at 430 °F (ca. 221 °C) for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 390 °F (ca. 199 °C) and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes until the bread is golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately, or let cool on a rack to room temperature.
Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
- For baking soda to “work,” you need an acid. Buttermilk is used in this recipe, but yogurt is also often used. If you don't have this at home right now, use a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice per 1 cup (250 ml) of milk. Certainly works very well.
- Beautiful crust: Brush the dough with melted butter or milk before baking in the oven.
- Sugar-free: Omit the sugar. No problem.
- Also nice to mix with basic soda bread instead of rosemary, sugar, and cranberries:
- Nuts and seeds: chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds) or seeds such as sunflower seeds and pine nuts for extra flavor and texture.
- Dried fruit: mix raisins, apricots, or dates into the bread for sweet bread.
- Savory and cheesy: Mix shredded cheese, such as matured, cheddar, or Parmesan cheese, into the dough.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Basic Irish Soda Bread
- 3¾ cup all-purpose flour and some extra for dusting your workspace
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cup buttermilk
Filling
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary Only needles, chopped finely or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Basic Irish Soda Bread
- Preheat the oven to
430 °F or 390 °F. - Place parchment paper on a baking tray.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center of the flour mixture. (With filling look *)3¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until you get an airy dough. If the dough is still falling apart, add some extra buttermilk. The dough should be a bit sticky.1½ cup buttermilk
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times.
- Form a round dough about 6 inches (ca. 15 cm) in diameter and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
- Make a cross on the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
- Slide the bread into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to390 °F or 355 °F and bake for another 20–25 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
- Check whether the loaf of bread is sufficiently cooked by tapping the bottom. You should hear a hollow sound; otherwise, extend the baking time by 2–3 minutes.
- Let cool on a wire rack or serve warm.
With Cranberries and Rosemary Filling
- After sifting the flour, baking soda, and salt, add the ingredients for the filling: sugar, dried cranberries, and rosemary. Mix well with a spoon. Continue with the recipe (adding the buttermilk).2 tablespoons sugar, ¾ cup dried cranberries, 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Notes
- Nuts and seeds: chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds) or seeds such as sunflower seeds and pine nuts for extra flavor and texture.
- Dried fruit: mix raisins, apricots, or dates into the bread for a loaf of sweet bread.
- Savory and cheesy: Mix shredded cheese, such as matured, cheddar, or Parmesan cheese, into the dough.
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