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This Traditional Irish Soda Bread with raisins is soft inside with a crusty. It has a tender, dense texture that is moist but still crumbly. Nothing is better than a thick slice fresh from the oven generously slathered with Irish butter and fruit jam. 

soda bread with raisins on wooden board with crumbs.

Everyone looks for something a little different in soda bread. I like mine with a tight, tender crumb, a little sweeter than is all together necessary for a “bread”, never dry, and it must have raisins. There is no egg in this traditional soda bread.

I tried every single soda bread recipe that I could find trying to find one that matched the ones from my childhood. Even the one from culinary school didn’t live up to my standards (too much baking soda). So I stopped trying and just made my own recipe. This is the perfect traditional Irish soda bread with raisins.

It has the perfect texture, with just enough baking soda to react with the buttermilk, and is just a little sweet. Try using this easy quick bread to thicken Dutch oven beef stew or lamb stew instead of potatoes, or serve it as a side dish for dipping into this lemon chicken recipe or corned beef and cabbage!

Why This is the Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe

  • The perfect ratio of baking soda to buttermilk. Using too much soda in proportion to the buttermilk will leave some of the soda unreacted, which will add a bitter, metallic flavor to your bread.
  • Tender, moist texture. There is just enough butter and sugar in cut into the flour to keep the crumb tight and moist. This duo also adds a richer flavor.
  • Created & perfected by a professional pastry chef. Not satisfied with any recipes I tried, I created my own recipe and honed it over the years in NYC restaurant kitchens.
  • Easy quick bread. Irish soda bread is a quick bread, which means it doesn’t need any yeast! The leavening comes from baking soda (hence the name), and it comes together in 5 minutes! You can even make it by hand.
slice of traditional irish soda bread with raisins.
pumpkin bread slices wooden board on marble counter.
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Professional Tips for Making Traditional Irish Soda Bread

  • Cut the butter in until the bits are almost indiscernible. This creates the tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It also coats the gluten strands, which shortens them and helps keep the bread from being tough. Just like my blueberry scone recipe, cutting the butter in keeps them tender.
  • The secret ingredient in this recipe is love. I mean it! Add the buttermilk with your hands and when you knead it, do it gently with love. Feel the dough. It will tell you when it’s had enough and is ready to be baked. This is how your bread will be more tender than anyone else’s.
  • Make the two cuts in the top ½ inch deep. This is how you ensure the prettiest loaf. Cut too shallow, the cross will disappear into the top crust. It will still taste great, but it won’t have that traditional look.
  • Don’t over mix. Be careful to incorporate the buttermilk quickly without too much extra kneading, just like with chocolate chip scones, so the texture remains tender.

Irish soda bread is a quick bread not a yeast bread, which means that it is leavened using a commercial leavener like baking soda rather than yeast. This just makes it a quick and easy bread recipe that you can make for dinner tonight!

Ingredients Needed

  • All-Purpose flour
  • Baking Soda: Baking soda reacts once immediately when it comes into contact with an acid. This not only creates the leavening in this quick bread but it also alters the flavor of the soda. Too much soda will leave an unpleasant flavor and mouthfeel in your bread.  
  • Baking Powder: I get the remaining leavening from baking powder, so as not to compromise either the flavor or the rise.
  • Kosher Salt
  • Granulated Sugar: This helps shorten the gluten strands creating a tender crumb along with just a hint of sweetness. You can omit it for a purely savory bread.
  • Unsalted Butter: You could also omit the kosher salt above and use a salted Irish butter like Kerrygold. Just don’t forget to save some for spreading on top with a little mixed berry jam.
  • Buttermilk: I developed this recipe with low-fat. Full fat is too thick and you’ll need to use more to get the dough to come together.
  • Raisins or Currants: These are optional but I love the contrasting burst of sweetness!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

What if I don’t have buttermilk?

I hear you. You can make a substitution by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar for every cup of milk and letting it sit for 10 minutes. This will not produce the best soda bread, but it will make something similar.

Possible Variations & Substitutions

  • Make rolls for a quick side dish. Divide the dough into 12 small pieces, roll into balls and cut the top using a sharp or serrated knife. Bake 8-12 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean!
  • Play around with add-ins: Try currants instead of raisins, add caraway seeds or other dried fruit and nuts. Zest an orange or lemon into the sugar before mixing for a subtle, floral citrus flavor.
  • Make a savory soda bread. Try adding chopped fresh herbs like rosemary, oregano, chives, and sage. Mix in some shredded low-moisture cheese like parmesan, Swiss, or gruyère.
two pieces of bread with jam and butter.

How to Make Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Use these instructions to make the best Irish soda bread with raisins! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or use a cast iron pan (at least 12 inches)

Step 2: In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Dump it on the counter or on a large wooden cutting board.

You can also make it in a large bowl with a pastry blender or your hands.

Step 3: Sprinkle the cold butter cubes over the flour mixture and cut it in with a bench scraper until the pieces are almost indiscernible. Alternatively, use a pastry blender or your hands to rub it into the flour.

Step 4: Slowly add the buttermilk, scooping the flour over the buttermilk and working it in. Do this gently. (You can also stir in the buttermilk with a wooden spoon.) After a dough begins to form, I abandon the bench scraper and just use my hands to knead just until a cohesive dough forms.

There shouldn’t be any dry patches but it shouldn’t be sticky either.

Step 5: At this point gently, but quickly, kneed in the raisins. You can always use a little more or a little less buttermilk. You want to kneed it as little as possible so that it doesn’t become tough.

Stand Mixer Method: Simply add the dry ingredients and butter to the bowl of the stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on low speed until no large pieces remain. You want the butter to almost disappear into the flour mixture. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk just until a cohesive dough forms. Especially with a stand mixer, try to be very careful not to over mix. Turn out the dough onto the counter and kneed in the raisins.

Step 6: Shape into a round loaf and make two cuts with a sharp knife in the shape of a cross on the top of the dough. Make sure they are ½ inch deep for the prettiest loaf.

Step 7: Place in a cast iron skillet or on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer or cake tester comes out clean. It is easy to over-bake this bread, so watch it!

Serve with Irish salted butter and jam (bonus points for quick strawberry jam)!

Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip

I do not find the need to flour my hands or add any extra flour to the outside of the dough. A little stickiness is a small price to pay for the best flavor. Raw flour is gross, so why put it outside your bread?

Irish soda bread is often made on St. Patrick’s Day. For more St. Patty’s day baking try these caramel Guinness chocolate cupcakes, Bailey Irish Cream Brownies, or this chocolate Guinness cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you store Irish soda bread?

Irish soda bread is best the day it is made or the day after. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage. Toasting the slices will help them taste fresh after longer than 2 days. Serve room temperature or warm!

Does traditional Irish soda bread have raisins?

Traditionally Irish soda bread only had 4 ingredients: flour, baking soda, buttermilk and salt. Modern recipes often include butter, sugar, raisins or caraway seeds. There are infinite flavor combinations based on the original recipe!

Why do most Irish soda breads taste bitter?

Using too much baking soda in proportion to the buttermilk will leave some of the soda unreacted, which will add a bitter, metallic flavor to your bread. If there is way too much, then the taste will linger after the bread is gone. This is the problem with most Irish soda bread recipes.

If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!

loaf of traditional Irish soda bread with butter in background.
5 from 3 ratings

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

This Traditional Irish Soda Bread with raisins is soft inside with a crusty. It has a tender, dense texture that is moist but still crumbly. Nothing is better than a thick slice fresh from the oven generously slathered with Irish butter and fruit jam.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375° F.
  • In a medium bowl whisk the flour, soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Dump it on the counter or on a large wooden cutting board. You can also make this in a large bowl with a pastry blender or your hands.
  • Sprinkle the cold butter cubes over the flour mixture and cut in with a bench scraper or rub in with your hands until the butter pieces are almost indiscernible.
  • Slowly add the buttermilk, scooping the flour over the buttermilk and working it in. Do this gently. At first I use the bench scraper to mound the flour on top of the buttermilk until it is absorbed before adding a little more. After a dough begins to form, I abandon the bench scraper and just use my hands to kneed in the buttermilk until a cohesive dough forms. There shouldn’t be any dry patches but it shouldn’t be sticky either. At this point gently, but quickly, kneed in the raisins. You can always use a little more or a little less buttermilk. You want to kneed it as little as possible so that it doesn’t become tough.
  • Stand Mixer Method – you can also do this in a stand mixer. Simply add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, along with the cubed butter and mix on low speed until no large pieces of butter remain. You want the butter to almost disappear into the flour mixture. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk just until a cohesive dough forms. With a stand mixer, try to be very careful not to over mix. Turn out the dough onto the counter and kneed in the raisins.
  • Shape into a round loaf and make two cuts in the shape of a cross on the top of the dough. Make sure they are ½ inch deep for the prettiest loaf. Place in a cast iron skillet or on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. It is easy to over-bake this bread, so watch it!

Video

Notes

Yield – 1 round loaf
Presentation – Make the two cuts on the top of the loaf ½ inch thick to retain the cross after baking.
Technique – Like with all quick breads, be sure not to over-mix or the bread will be tough.
Variations – Add different dried fruit or nuts for a sweet variation, or add chopped fresh herbs and low-moisture shredded cheese for a savory option.
Storage – Irish soda bread is best the day it is made or the day after. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Serve room temperature or warm!

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Irish
Calories: 180
Like this? Leave a comment below!

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed easy quick bread recipes!

Hi, I’m Chef Lindsey!

I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert!

5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I have never enjoyed soda bread. I had guests over on St Patrick’s Day for Shepherd’s Pie and cabbage, potatoes and ham. I shared this recipe with my friend that said she would make soda bread, even tho’ she does not like it. This new version is very good! Thank you for improving this bread.

    1. Hi Cin! That is so wonderful to hear, thank you for coming back and commenting to share your experience!

  2. Oh gawsh darn it – I’m not even a huge bread person but the way you write, you make me wanna climb into my screen and grab that slice with butter and jelly – girrrrlll – you are good! 🙂
    GORGEOUS loaf BTW – it’s been so long since I kneaded bread – but maybe this should be my comeback recipe?!

  3. This soda bread looks amazing! I would totally enjoy just as you suggested- a healthy dose of Irish butter and some delicious fruit preserves 🙂