Soda Bread with Irish Butter (Printable)
Rustic Irish soda bread with a crisp crust, tender crumb, and creamy Irish butter accompaniment.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
04 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
→ For Serving
06 - 4 tablespoons Irish butter, room temperature
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar until thoroughly blended.
03 - Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in most of the buttermilk and mix gently with your hand or wooden spoon until a soft dough forms, adding additional buttermilk only if needed to achieve proper consistency.
04 - Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly for approximately 30 seconds just to bring the dough together, being careful not to overwork. Shape into a round loaf about 2 inches thick and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
05 - Using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross pattern on top of the loaf, extending about halfway through the dough.
06 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the loaf develops a deep golden brown crust and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
07 - Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Slice thickly while still warm and serve with generous portions of Irish butter.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- No yeast, no proofing, no waiting—just mix and bake, which means fresh bread is possible even on your most chaotic weeknights
- The crust shatters under your knife while inside stays tender and slightly dense, perfect for soaking up melted butter
02 -
- Overworking the dough makes it tough, so handle it as briefly and gently as possible
- Buttermilk temperature matters—the reaction with baking soda works best with cold dairy
03 -
- Trust your hands—tacky dough is better than dry, and this recipe forgives small measurement variations
- The hollow tap test is more reliable than appearance, so listen more than you look