• Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
      • Breakfast Breads
    • Beverages
      • Boozy Drinks
      • Non-Alcoholic
    • Condiments
      • Dressings Chutneys & Jams
      • Marinades & Rubs
      • Sauces & Pestos
    • Desserts
      • Cakes
      • Candy
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies/Bars
      • Crumbles/Crisps
      • Ice Cream/Frozen Treats
      • Pies/Tarts
      • Puddings/Custards
    • Entrees
      • Meat
        • Beef
        • Chicken/Poultry
        • Lamb
        • Pork
        • Seafood
          • Crab
          • Fish
          • Other
          • shrimp
        • Pasta
        • Grains
        • Sandwiches, Tacos & Pizzas
        • Soups, Stews & Braises
    • Salads
    • Sides
      • Breads
    • Vegan/Vegetarian
  • About
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • Press
    • Disclaimers
    • Privacy Policy
  • Kitchen Resources

Garlic & Zest

Gourmet Cooking at Home!

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread
256shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Mix
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

St. Patty’s Day.  How do you celebrate?  Are you a green beer and shamrock necklace reveller?  Or do you prefer a comforting dish of corned beef and cabbage with a pint of Guinness?   Honestly, I’ve done both.  At this stage of the game,  I definitely fall on the side of a good meal over copious amounts of dyed pub ale (you never know what’s going to happen once you’re focusing with beer goggles.)  I’ll leave that to some of my younger, single friends who will undoubtedly share the good time that I missed on Facebook.

flour and leavener adding butter to flour For our St. Pat’s, I’m going with comfort food.  Specifically, this Irish soda bread.  I’ve tried several iterations and so far, this is my favorite, hands down.  The dough comes together in about 15 minutes and when baking, it fills the house with a wonderful aroma.   One whiff and Emily is grinning from ear to ear.

checking consistency of butter cut into flour golden raisins and caraway seedsThe original recipe for this bread makes more than the three of us can handle, so I halved it, put it in a  smaller pan and shaved off some baking time.  It still makes an impressive loaf and their will be plenty of leftovers for breakfast.  I promise.  Pinky swear.

making Irish Soda Bread Irish Soda Bread in a skillet

Here’s what’s so great about this bread.  It’s firm, but has a beautiful crumb.  It is redolent with raisins (I used the golden variety) and caraway seeds which give it that distinctive bouquet and flavor.  This bread is a little sweet.  Not so much as a cake, but it definitely straddles the line.  Warmed with a little butter and maybe some fruit jam — heaven.  Alongside a bowl of hot soup — absolutely.  With corned beef and cabbage — naturally.

 

fresh baked Irish Soda Bread ready to cut Irish Soda Bread slicing Irish Soda Bread Irish Soda Bread with butter and jam

Irish Soda Bread
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Irish Soda Bread

A delicious and easy quick bread perfect for any meal.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Irish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 servings
Calories 340kcal
Author Patrice Bedrosian/Julie LeStrange

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup butter cut into cubes half a stick, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cup raisins I used golden raisins
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 1 cup plus two tablespoons buttermilk
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a heavy ovenproof skillet about 8-9 inches in diameter with 2-2 1/2" inch high sides. (A cast iron skillet would work well).
  • In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
  • Add butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it forms coarse crumbs --when you squeeze the crumbs, they should clump.
  • Stir in raisins and caraway seeds until evenly distributed.
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg. Add to flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir to combine. Dough will be sticky.
  • Transfer dough to prepared skillet and smooth over. Dip a small sharp knife into flour and make an "x" on the top of the dough - about 1-inch deep.
  • Bake about 50 minutes or until tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool bread in skillet for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Can be made one day ahead. Store at room temperature, wrapped in foil.

Nutrition

Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2.8mg

More Quick Breads:

Bourbon Brown Sugar Banana Bread
Bourbon Brown Sugar Banana Bread
Jalapeno Bacon Cheddar Cornbread
Jalapeno Bacon Cheddar Cornbread
Hatch Green Chili Bread
Hatch Green Chili Bread

This simple recipe for Irish Soda Bread is slightly sweet with caraway and golden raisins. Great for breakfast or with a soup or stew!
256shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Mix

Breads// Breakfast/Brunch// Side Dishes// Snacks// Vegan/Vegetarian20 Comments

« The Diplomat Beach Resort and Spa
Knife and Fork Grilled Cheese »

Comments

  1. Mary says

    March 16, 2017 at 4:47 PM

    I love Irish soda bread! Haven’t made it in years, but your version sounds wonderful! Happy St. Patty’s Day!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 16, 2017 at 4:56 PM

      It had been a while for me, too, Mary. But it’s definitely worth revisiting!

      Reply
  2. Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says

    March 16, 2017 at 4:45 PM

    I’ve never had soda bread believe it or not but it looks delicious. And yeah St. Patties Day will be low key for me and all about the comfort food 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 16, 2017 at 4:55 PM

      There’s nothing wrong with low-key!

      Reply
  3. Marsha says

    March 16, 2017 at 3:53 PM

    This soda bread looks absolutely wonderful! Gotta try this soon!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 16, 2017 at 3:59 PM

      If my calendar is correct — tomorrow is St. Patty’s Day!

      Reply
  4. Allison Mattina says

    March 16, 2017 at 3:26 PM

    This looks worlds better than the store bought versions. I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 16, 2017 at 3:52 PM

      I think tomorrow would be a good day to try, LOL!

      Reply
  5. Deepika says

    March 16, 2017 at 3:16 PM

    This bread looks gorgeous. I love the use of caraway seeds and golden raisins.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 16, 2017 at 3:52 PM

      I’m glad you approve. It really is a delicious combination.

      Reply
  6. Julia @ HappyFoods Tube says

    February 25, 2017 at 7:47 AM

    My mouth is watering here. I have never made Irish soda bread with raisins but I like the look of it! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jovita @ Yummy Addiction says

    February 25, 2017 at 5:01 AM

    I have never made this one before but it looks really good! I am going to an Irish pub with my hubby but now I am thinking about making your soda bread later that day! If I will still be able to 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      February 25, 2017 at 6:35 AM

      Make it early in the day, then it’s ready to soak up whatever you need it to.

      Reply
  8. Just Jo says

    February 25, 2017 at 3:39 AM

    Oh I do love soda bread – although I prefer it plain or using a little wholemeal flour when I make it. Yours looks like a great variation on the basic recipe!

    Reply
  9. Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says

    February 25, 2017 at 12:38 AM

    I love holidays– so we usually go to an Irish pub. I also make Irish soda bread some years because my British husband loves it. And beer! That’s a great way to celebrate.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      February 25, 2017 at 6:34 AM

      Sounds like you’ve got a great plan, Michelle!

      Reply
  10. huntfortheverybest says

    March 14, 2014 at 9:56 AM

    looks wonderful!

    Reply
  11. Joanne P says

    March 13, 2014 at 6:05 PM

    Thank You for a recipe that uses golden raisins rather than weird candied fruit bits. I will be serving this with my corned beef rather than the store bought one.

    Reply
  12. Gabrielle Glatt says

    March 13, 2014 at 9:21 AM

    Hi Lisa, What could I use if I don’t have a cast iron skillet or oven-proof pan?

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 13, 2014 at 10:19 AM

      Any heavy baking dish should do the trick. If you have a good quality cake pan (a sturdy one with high sides) that would work too. Don’t skimp on buttering the pan!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Meet Lisa

Lisa

Calling all cooks! You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table! At Garlic & Zest, I’ll show you how to make hundreds of seasonal, fresh recipes and indulgent comfort foods with easy step-by-step instructions and photos to help you master the dish.

Let’s get cooking!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Easy Homemade Basil Pistachio Pesto
  • How To Make Candied Citrus Peel From Scratch
  • How To Build Layered B-52 Shots At Home
  • French Orange Dijon Chicken
  • Young Chicken in a Cast Iron Skillet
Amazon Affiliate:
Garlic & Zest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Featured On

Amazon Affiliate: Garlic & Zest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Work with me    Disclaimer

Copyright © 2021 GarlicAndZest - Designed by TailoredDesignsCo

Copyright © 2021 · Garlic and Zest · Privacy Policy

256shares