Baked,  Breakfasts,  Recipes

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread, what’s not to love? Interestingly this is not a recipe that we ate regularly in my childhood.  Mam has her own, rather special version that I will share with you in the future with her permission.  This recipe though is very close to that which I learnt to bake in school.

Because Irish Soda bread has no yeast, it means you don’t have to wait for it to rise.  I don’t make mine with salt, it’s something I’m very concious of when working out our meals for the week. The lack of salt then means that the bread doesn’t preserve.

You don’t really want to preserve bread anyway, it’s best eaten fresh or the leftovers frozen for breadcrumbs.  However I often find that recipes for Irish Soda Bread tend to be on the big size.  I like to make just enough to feed my family for 1 day so I’ve adjusted the quantities for a smaller amount.

There is something very special about the smell of baking coursing through the house.  By the time the bread is baked, I normally have everybody underfoot waiting for it to cool.  Or if you’re my hubby you’re clamouring for a crusty piece while it’s still warm!

Anyway here is my interpretation of an Irish Soda Bread Recipe that feeds a family of 5 for 1 meal with no leftovers and no waste.

Ingredients

  • 100g strong white flour
  • 100g coarse wholemeal flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 25g salted butter, softened100ml buttermilk
  • Extra buttermilk for dabbing on top & some seeds of your choice.

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celcius and line a baking tray.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda & butter until you get small breadcrumbs.
Pour in the buttermilk and loosely mix until it all comes together in a dough.  If it’s a little dry add a small amount of water.

Once you have a loose dough, shape into a round with your hands.  Put the dough lightly onto a baking tray and using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross into the bread but don’t cut through the whole way. Brush the top of the bread with extra buttermilk and sprinkle with seeds of your choice.

Bake for approximately 35 minutes. Turn off the oven, remove the bread from the tray and wrap in a damp tea towel then return it to the warm oven to cool.  This gives you a soft crust.  If you like a hard crust then leave to cool on a rack with no damp tea towel.

PS: This recipe originally appeared on Mod Erin Design‘s blog in March 2013.  If you’re looking for contemporary Irish design inspiration, it’s the place to go so do check it out!

I'm an Irish mother to 2 boys, born & bred in Dublin, Ireland. I like to cook simple & fresh food for the family, with the family on a budget.

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