An easy no-knead bread recipe to make with kids, this Easy Irish Soda Bread is perfect for dipping into soup on a cold, blustery day. If your family loves biscuits and scones, they will love this easy quick bread recipe.

Irish soda bread with recipe name text overlay

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is a classic and super easy recipe to make for St Patrick’s Day – and truly, it’s one of the best breads out there to make with kids and for serving with soups! Every time I make it, I find myself wondering why we don’t make it more often.

Irish soda bread came about because the soft wheat native to Ireland didn’t react well with yeast, so for years they just made flatbread in skillets until they were introduced to combining baking soda and sour milk, which creates carbon dioxide bubbles that naturally leaven (give rise to) the bread.

Today, buttermilk is used in place of sour milk, but the result is still the same: a dense yet tender and soft bread with a golden, crunchy exterior that requires no yeast or kneading.

The taste is more similar to a scone or biscuit – slightly sweet and more robust in flavor compared to a typical white bread.

Try it with Irish Colcannon (mashed potatoes with ham and cabbage) or a pot of corned beef and cabbage to make a fabulous St. Patrick’s Day meal!

— Jennifer

Is Irish Soda Bread truly Irish?

Yes! While many different cultures have their own versions of soda breads, this recipe is inspired by the soda bread that was made in Southern Ireland in the 19th century.

Native Americans, who used a natural form of soda derived from bark ash (potash) to help leaven their bread taught this method to North American settlers, who eventually developed baking soda and brought the soda (and the many recipes they had developed using it) back to Europe.

collage image showing Irish soda bread, with in-process photos

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour
White Sugar
Salt
Baking Powder
Butter, cold and cut into cubes
Raisins, optional
Buttermilk
Egg, optional

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: ideally, this recipe should be made with cake or pastry flour, but it still works great with all-purpose flour.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

Mixing Bowl, measuring cups, spoon
12-inch Cast Iron Skillet (can use a cookie sheet, if desired)

loaf of Irish soda bread in a silver bowl

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

stirring together dry ingredients to make bread dough

Grease a skillet or baking sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, white sugar, salt and baking powder until well combined.

Use a pastry cutter or large fork to incorporate the cold butter into the flour mixture until well-distributed and dry ingredients resemble clumpy sand.

Stir in the raisins and set aside.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, beat together the buttermilk and egg until well-combined.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk-egg mixture. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you’re unable to stir anymore, then use your hands to knead and mix the dough until it forms a shaggy but cohesive ball and is no longer sticky (this should only take about 10 kneads, do not exceed 2 minutes of needing).

2 photo collage of making Irish soda bread dough

Place the ball of dough onto the prepared skillet or cookie sheet.

Use a sharp knife to cut a large X-shape in the center of the dough to allow steam to escape.

loaf of Irish soda bread in cast iron skillet - dough and cooked bread

Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 1 loaf, approximately 12-14 slices.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Irish Soda Bread last?

Soda bread dries out quickly – best eaten within 3 days. If you know you won’t be able to eat it all in 3 days, you can freeze half after baking and consume within 2 months.

Do I really need to score the bread on top with a giant “X”?

While it may look like the scoring on the top of the bread is purely decorative, it’s very important to the texture and cook of the bread.

Scoring the top of the bread:

allows steam to escape, creating those little pockets that make the bread light and tender
ensures that the centre of the bread cooks fully
gives the top of the bread more surface area to brown and get crispy
and if you believe Irish superstitions, the reason many families put the cross on the top of the bread is because they believed that it would ward off evil spirits – or to let the fairies out.

More Delicious Irish-inspired Recipes:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our Irish Soda Bread recipe:

Yield: 1 loaf, 12 slices

Irish Soda Bread

Name: Irish Soda Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 4 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour; 2 Tablespoons White Sugar; 1 teaspoon Salt; 1 teaspoon Baking Powder; 4 Tablespoons Butter, cold and cut into cubes; 1 cup Raisins, optional; 1 3/4 cup Buttermilk; 1 Egg, optional

An easy no-knead bread recipe to make with kids, this Easy Irish Soda Bread is perfect for dipping into soup on a cold, blustery day. A dense yet tender and soft bread with a golden, crunchy exterior.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

4 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
4 Tablespoons Butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 cup Raisins, optional
1 3/4 cup Buttermilk
1 Egg, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.
Grease a cast-iron skillet or baking sheet and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, white sugar, salt and baking powder until well combined.
Use a pastry cutter or large fork to incorporate the cold butter into the flour mixture until well-distributed and dry ingredients resemble clumpy sand.
Stir in the optional raisins and set aside.
In a small bowl or large measuring cup, beat together the buttermilk and optional egg until well-combined.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk-egg mixture. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you're unable to stir anymore, then use your hands to continue kneading and mixing the dough until it forms a shaggy but cohesive ball and is no longer sticky (this should only take about 10 kneads, do not exceed 2 minutes of needing).
Place the ball of dough onto the prepared skillet or cookie sheet.
Use a sharp knife to cut a large X-shape in the center of the dough to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

If the dough seems really sticky, knead it for at least a minute before adding more flour. It will be sticky at first but should become less sticky with kneading.