Irish Soda Bread
This soft & sweet Irish soda bread has a scone-like texture created with the addition of butter and requires just 10 minutes of hands-on prep time. Beginner friendly, this untraditional version is made with raisins, dried cranberries and brown sugar and is one of the easiest bread recipes you will ever make!
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
- 1¼ cups buttermilk see notes to make your own
- 1 egg whisked into the buttermilk
- ½ cup raisins cleaned and separated
- ½ cup dried cranberries cleaned and separated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry cutter or box grater, cut or grate the cold butter into the flour then gently stir until distributed throughout.
- Make a well and pour in buttermilk and egg and stir or mix by hand just until the ingredients begin to come together. Fold in raisins and dried cranberries and keep turning the dough until it starts to look a little sticky and stringy.
- Pull dough out onto a floured surface and, using floured hands, fold, turn and shape it into a ball.
- Score the top of the loaf with an ‘X’ to allow even heat distribution, then place into baking dish or cast iron skillet and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and it sounds hollow when you knock on it. Remove from oven, transfer to cooling rack then slice once it’s cool enough to handle.
Notes
Flour: I like to use a hard wheat unbleached bread flour to get a good crusty, chewy loaf. Hard wheat or ‘strong’ flour is made from hard wheat kernels and is a little more dense and higher in protein than other flours. This recipe will also work well with other bread or all-purpose flours although results may vary in terms of both texture and appearance.
Egg: The addition of an egg alters the texture by making the bread a little denser and heartier. Omitting it will result in a slightly lighter, fluffier loaf.
Don’t have buttermilk? Simply add 1 tablespoon + ¼ teaspoon white or cider vinegar to 1¼ cups milk, stir and let sit for 15 minutes until thickened.
Storage: Irish soda bread will keep in a well-sealed bag on the counter for up to 3 days or sliced, wrapped tightly and frozen it for up to 2 months.