Does the thought of making homemade bread intimidate you? Make Irish Soda Bread! This classic Irish dessert doesn’t use yeast so it’s simple to make. The homemade dough requires flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and butter.
Does the thought of making homemade bread scare you?
If you make an Irish Dinner for St. Patrick’s Day, then you need to serve up a loaf of Irish Soda Bread. This classic Irish dessert bread does not involve yeast, so it’s hard to ruin it. If you can make banana bread, you should be successful in making this easy Irish Soda Bread as well.
The dough is simple; just flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and butter.
Using a fork or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the batter so it is a little crumbly.
Add your buttermilk and egg mixture and mix until the batter is just damp.
Fold in your dried fruit. I was able to find currants at my grocery store, but you can substitute raisins or craisins. I decided to mix currants and dried cranberries for a fun flavor.
Transfer your dough to a floured surface and knead the bread for one minute, collecting any run away currants.
Mold the dough into a round circle about an inch and a half thick.
Then using a knife, cut two slits down the middle of the dough, about 1/4 inch into the dough.
Brush the dough with an egg wash and bake. I had to cook mine a little longer than this recipe calls for; just test the middle to see if a toothpick comes out clean.
I think Irish Soda Bread is so pretty and the egg wash on the bread creates a shiny brown loaf. If you have enough self control, allow the bread to cool, then slice, and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup craisins or raisins
- ⅔ cup currants
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut in butter until crumbly.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg and buttermilk. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened.
- Fold in currants and craisins, if using.
- Knead dough on a floured surface for 1 minute, collecting any lost dried fruit. Shape into a round loaf; place on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Cut a ¼" deep cross in top of loaf. Beat remaining egg; brush a thin layer over the loaf.
- Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown, testing the middle with a toothpick.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Use any dried fruit combination that you'd like, or you can omit the fruit all together.
We hope you love this Irish Soda Bread recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Maria from Staying Close to Home, as much as we do. If you liked this simple recipe, be sure to stop by our desserts section for more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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