Irish Soda Bread
I have had many Irish Soda Breads that I purchased from a bakery or a grocery store. Some good and some so dry that I immediately needed to grab for something to drink to get it down. The one I liked the best was moist and had a little more sugar than the others. It is very moist and a little more sweet than usual. I haven’t made it recently, but when I do it’s been a hit and gone pretty quickly.
Soda bread is a quick bread in which baking soda is used as the leavening agent instead of yeast. Additionally, in Ireland, they typically use soft wheat. So a cake or pastry flour, that is made from soft wheat, is best instead of a bread flour. This recipe uses a combination of flours that includes cake flour. In some recipes, the buttermilk is replaced by yogurt or even stout. There is also a whole wheat version called “wheaten” bread.
You will need to soak the raisins in water overnight. I have never tried this myself, but I have seen recipes that soak the raisins in in a good Irish Whiskey and my neighbor had done this as well. I don’t add any stout, that is typically done if you are using whole wheat flour, but go ahead and experiment if you like.
This Irish Soda Bread is easy to make. Just make sure you don’t knead the dough. Once on a floured surface, just pull it together into a round. You can add a little flour if the dough is too sticky, but use as little as possible.
As mentioned, I haven’t made this in awhile. I forgot how big the large loaf really is. A few slices in the center were still a little doughy. Going forward, I will make 2 smaller loaves.
Serve this Irish Soda Bread with butter, jam or marmalade.
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Irish Soda Bread
A moist and delicious Irish Soda Bread.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 sick unsalted European butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup raisins or currants, soak in water overnight to plump, then drain
- 1/2 cup golden raisins, soak in water overnight to plump, then drain
- Raw Turbinado Sugar to sprinkle on top
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Step 2 In a medium size bowl, whisk the buttermilk and eggs together and set aside.
- Step 3 In a large bowl, add both flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix together.
- Step 4 Add the buttermilk/egg mixture, melted, but cooled butter, and the drained plump raisins.
- Step 5 Mix until everything is incorporated.
- Step 6 Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pull the dough together into a round, adding as little flour as possible to get it to come together. Do not knead the dough.
- Step 7 Place the dough on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
- Step 8 Make a cross on the top.
- Step 9 Sprinkle the top with raw turbinadao sugar.
- Step 10 Large Loaf: Place into a preheated oven and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Insert a toothpick or cake tester into the center to check to see if it done. It should come out clean.
- Step 11 Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Looks good. My recipe calls for a glaze on top. Nice and sweet.