Irish Soda Bread

Make This Easy Bread as Plain or Fancy as You Want

In the US, we tend to think of Irish Soda Bread around March 17th — Saint Patrick’s Day.  The rest of the year?  Not so much.  Which is too bad, because it’s easy to make.  Not to mention tasty.  And its flavor blends well with the simplest meal or the fanciest dinner.

In its original form, Irish Soda Bread was quite plain.  But over the years, bakers have made additions to the recipe.  Nowadays, you’ll see elaborate versions that include butter, eggs, and sugar.  Even the plainest loaves sold in the US now commonly contain raisins (or currants) and caraway seeds. 

So today’s post is a twofer:  We present both a simple version of Irish Soda Bread, and a more elaborate alternative.  One of these is sure to appeal.

But be warned:  It’s tough to choose.  You may decide to do what we did — and make both!

Recipe:  Irish Soda Bread

Basic Irish Soda Bread contains flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk — and nothing else. Today, however, it’s the rare baker who doesn’t add some raisins and caraway seeds. Fancier versions use these, along with eggs, butter, sugar, and perhaps other ingredients. Some of these elaborate “breads” are almost cake-like.

No matter how plain or fancy, every recipe for soda bread contains buttermilk. You can’t substitute sweet milk — the acidity of the buttermilk combines with baking soda to provide the leavening in this recipe. The best buttermilk is the kind you make yourself, as a byproduct of whipping your own Homemade Butter. Store-bought buttermilk is also readily available and of decent quality (though not as good as your own). We discuss buttermilk options in the Notes.

Mrs. Kitchen Riffs has been experimenting with various soda bread recipes, and has found two that she likes quite well. The first is a relatively simple one that she adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook. It yields two 6-inch round loaves. Active prep time is about 15 minutes. Cooking time is 35 to 40 minutes, but you’ll want to let it cool for an hour or two before you slice it. So total time is 2 hours, maybe 3 tops. Well-wrapped leftovers keep for several days at room temperature.

The second recipe makes a much richer, almost cake-like, soda bread. It’s adapted from the October 2002 issue of Bon Appétit. This recipe make one large 10- to 12-inch loaf (easily large enough for 10 or more servings). Prep time is about 15 minutes, baking time an hour and a quarter or so, and cooling time another hour or two. So total time is 2½ to 3½ hours. Again, well-wrapped leftovers keep for several days.

Irish Soda Bread Recipe 1: The Simple Version

Ingredients

• 1½ cups raisins
• flour and butter for preparing the baking sheet (maybe a tablespoon of each)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1¼ tablespoons caraway seeds
• 1¾ cups buttermilk (shake the container before pouring)
• 2 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place rack in center position of the oven.
2. Place raisins in saucepan and add just enough water to cover; place over medium heat; once water comes to a light boil, turn down heat and let raisins simmer while you mix other ingredients.
3. Prepare a baking sheet by first buttering it, then flouring it.  Knock off excess flour.
4. Measure 4 cups of flour into a medium bowl.  Add the baking soda, salt, sugar, and caraway seeds.  Whisk mixture thoroughly to combine (take a good minute).
5. Drain the raisins and stir them into the mixture to combine.  Then add the buttermilk.
6. Stir until the dough just forms — the flour should be evenly moistened, but it’s OK if it’s still a bit lumpy.
7. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, and knead just enough to form into a large ball (don’t overknead).
8. Cut dough in half, and form each half into a ball.  With your hands, shape each ball into a rounded disc measuring 6 inches or so across, and place both discs on the prepared baking sheet (allowing at least 4 inches between them).
9. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. 
10. Using a sharp knife, cut a large X (cross) in each loaf, about 1 inch deep (this allows the bread to expand).  Brush the loaves with melted butter.
11. Bake until golden brown and done (about 35 to 40 minutes).  What’s done?  The bottoms will sound hollow when tapped, and an instant-read thermometer will show around 200 degrees F (a bit higher is OK).
12. Allow to cool thoroughly on a rack before slicing (an hour or two).

Irish Soda Bread Recipe 2:  The Fancy, Cake-Like Version

Ingredients

• 3 cups raisins
• ~1 tablespoon butter for greasing skillet (you’ll use additional butter; see below)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons caraway seeds
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2½ cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place rack in center of oven.
2. Place raisins in saucepan and add just enough water to cover; place over medium heat; once water comes to a light boil, turn down heat and let raisins simmer while you mix other ingredients.
3. Butter a heavy, ovenproof skillet (cast iron is ideal) measuring 10 to 12 inches in diameter, with sides that are 2 or more inches high.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and caraway seeds. 
5. Cut the butter into cubes, and add to the flour mixture by using fingertips and rubbing until you form coarse crumbs.
6. Drain the raisins and stir them into the mixture to combine.
7. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the buttermilk and egg, then add them to the dough.  Stir the dough (a wooden spoon works well) until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed (dough will be soft and sticky).
8. Pour dough into the prepared skillet and smooth.  Use a sharp knife to cut a 1-inch-deep X in the top of the dough (this allows the bread to expand).
9. Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean (about 1 hour 15 minutes).
10. Cool bread in skillet for about 10 minutes. Then turn out onto a rack and allow to cool completely (an hour or two).

Notes

• You must use buttermilk in this recipe, because its acidity works with the baking soda to leaven the bread.  Sweet milk won’t do this — the bread would be edible, but its texture would be unpleasant. The best buttermilk is a byproduct of making your own butter. This is a really easy process, and you can read about it in our post on Homemade Butter. 
• In terms of flavor, the second best option is to enhance store-bought buttermilk with a process described by Alanna Kellogg in a post on one of her blogs, Kitchen Parade. 
• Next in terms of quality is using plain store-bought buttermilk (although its flavor isn’t as good as it used to be). 
• But many of us don’t use much buttermilk, so we hesitate to buy an entire container. In that case, I recommend using a powdered cultured buttermilk blend (the brand I use is Saco, and I can’t distinguish between it and plain store-bought buttermilk). If you use a powdered buttermilk, first determine how much powder you need to equal the amount of liquid buttermilk specified in the recipe (the container should provide clear information on equivalents). Add the buttermilk powder to the bowl with the other dry ingredients (Step 4 in the Procedure for both recipes), and whisk it in. Then add the necessary amount of water (again, follow the container), and the water will activate the powder, giving you buttermilk. Simple! 
• If you don’t have buttermilk on hand in either liquid or powdered form, you can artificially “sour” sweet milk as a last resort (you’re actually making a form of clabbered milk).  Usually, a tablespoon (or even less) of lemon juice or vinegar per cup of milk will do the trick.  Or use about 1¾  tablespoons cream of tartar.  Stir, and let the milk stand at room temperature for a few minutes before using.
• At Kitchen Riffs central, we like to make our own butter, so we often have home-made buttermilk on hand.  Otherwise, we keep a can of Saco buttermilk powder in the pantry — it’s good quality and convenient (and no, we have no connection with this company – we just like this product).
• BTW, some soda bread recipes replace buttermilk with yogurt (its acidity works with baking soda).  But IMO, the buttermilk recipes are superior.
• Both of our recipes direct you to simmer the raisins before adding them to the bread dough.   Mrs. Kitchen Riffs always does this, and she doesn’t recommend skipping this step.  Simmering plumps and softens raisins (which otherwise can be hard and dry).  It really does make a difference.  She learned this trick years ago in a cookbook (she’s forgotten which one) by the great Maida Heatter, and has used it ever since.
• Soda bread is made in many countries around the world, not just Ireland.  It became popular in the 19th century when commercial bicarbonate of soda — a/k/a baking soda — became widely available.
• Before that time, soda breads were often made with pot ash (derived from plant ashes soaked in water).  This method is centuries old.
• The first recipe above directs you to use a baking sheet.  But you can also make one or both loaves in a skillet.  Just grease the skillet with some butter, and place the disc of dough onto it.
• The first (simple) recipe produces a bread that’s denser and has more surface texture than the second (fancy) version.  The second version rises more and its texture is lighter and fluffier.  In fact, it rises enough that it’s fairly hard to see the X on the top after baking.  The first, second, and fourth photos show the first recipe; the third and last photo show the second.

So, Which Recipe is Better?

“Decisions, decisions,” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs as she tasted first one batch of Irish Soda Bread, and then the other.  “They’re similar but quite different at the same time.”

“They are,” I agreed, brushing some crumbs away.  “I like them both!”

“Well, of course you do,” said Mrs K R.  “You like almost everything!”

“I guess I am a pretty enthusiastic eater,” I agreed, reaching for another round from each batch.  I needed to do a thorough, impartial taste test, after all.

“I think the second version — the fancy cake-like one with egg and lots of butter — is almost more like a dessert than a bread,” said Mrs K R.  “It might be better served as a snack.  And it would be excellent for afternoon tea!”

“You’re right,” I said, brushing away more crumbs.  “And the first version — the simpler one — might work better for a table bread.  Its flavor would pair well with savories. Like Corned Beef! Accompanied by Steamed Vegetables. Or maybe that tasty Braised Cabbage we like so well.”

“That sounds like a pretty big dinner,” Mrs K R said, as she watched me take another hunk of soda bread. “Maybe this year for St. Patrick’s Day we should hold it down a bit? We could just have that great Colcannon. I love the combination of mashed potatoes and kale! Accompanied by some nice sausage?”

“Not a bad idea,” I agreed. “That way we’d have plenty of room for an after dinner Irish Coffee! With extra whipped cream.”

“And maybe a piece of the fancy Irish Soda Bread for dessert,” Mrs K R said. “Assuming there’s any left.”

“Uh, right,” I said, pulling my hand back.

 I guess I’ll have to cut my taste-testing short.

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