Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe
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Say goodbye to waiting for dough to rise with this quick and easy Irish soda bread recipe! With step-by-step pictures, a full video tutorial, and plenty of helpful tips, you'll be pulling the most beautiful loaf out of the oven that's crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of flavor. This recipe can be made with virtually any pan, boasts zero rise time, and provides lots of variations including an optional coarse sugar coating for a sweet crunch.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep Oven and Butter: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cube the butter into small pieces and place it in the freezer
Pick Your Pan: Soda bread can be made in virtually any oven-proof pan that is large enough. Use a seasoned cast iron skillet or line a cast iron skillet with parchment paper, use a parchment lined baking sheet, a greased or parchment lined 5 quart Dutch oven (or larger, lid off)
Dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl
Buttermilk: Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a liquid measuring cup. Refrigerate until ready to use
Cut in Butter: Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour until pea-sized crumbs form. (I start with a pastry cutter, then finish with fingers). Stir in the raisins. Work quickly now to keep the butter chilled, the colder the butter, the less sticky the dough
Add Buttermilk: Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour the chilled buttermilk/egg mixture into the well, then fold together using a stiff spatula or wooden spoon until the dough becomes too difficult to stir
Form into a Ball: Note, Wetter Dough = Moister Crumb. Lightly flour a work surface. Spray your hands with nonstick spray, then dust them with flour. Transfer the dough to the worksurface and quickly shape into a shaggy ball, kneading lightly if necessary. The dough will be very sticky; sprinkle it with just enough flour to make forming the ball tolerable. Do not add too much flour or over-mix or the bread will be tough
Make an X: Transfer dough to the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons coarse sugar, if using. Use a knife to score the top with a large, 1/-2 deep “X” in the center
Bake: Bake in the center of your preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 45-55 minutes, until the center reaches 190 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. I use this digital probe thermometer because it is inserted into the bread while it bakes, so you know exactly when it's time to remove the bread - perfect every time!
Cool: Using oven mitts, immediately transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. The bread is rustic and craggly, so don't expect perfect slices!
