Easy Irish Soda Bread

A square photo of a soda bread on a white parchment paper on a wooden board. two slices have been cut off and they are in the front left.

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.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Course Bread Baking, Breakfast, Lunch

Cuisine European Cuisine

Servings slices

Calories 292 kcal

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 to 390 °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

1. Baking Soda: 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 cup (250 ml) of milk. Certainly works very well.

2. Beautiful crust: Brush the dough with melted butter or milk before baking in the oven.

3. Sugar-Free: Omit the sugar. No problem.

4. Also, nice mix through the 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 a loaf of sweet bread.
Savory and cheesy: Mix shredded cheese, such as matured, cheddar, or Parmesan cheese, into the dough.

5. Oven: When you use a conventional oven, set the temperature to 430 °F (ca. 221 °C) (second step 390 °F (ca. 199 °C)). In a convection oven, 390 °F (ca. 199 °C) (second step 355 °F (ca. 179 °C)) is sufficient.

6. Storage

Soda bread has one minor drawback; you can store it poorly. So it's best made and eaten within a few hours. You can reheat it a little in the oven for a better bite, but this is best eaten when it is just baked.

Nutrition

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