Irish Soda Bread is the bread that my Irish Granny made all the time. At least twice a week, Granny baked a loaf of this bread. And she always brought a loaf when she came to our house. We didn't know that it had a name back then. We called it Granny's bread, and we just knew that it differed from "regular bread". As in, no thanks, I want Granny's bread for my toast.
We loved that Irish Soda Bread, which I now know that it was. It was rustic, hearty, and down to earth. Perfect for toast and for mopping up the last of your soup. One of my most delicious childhood memories was eating a slice, still warm from the oven, slathered with butter and honey.
Granny could practically whip up a loaf of soda bread with her eyes closed and in no time at all, out of the oven came a rounded, fragrant loaf with the signature cross scored across the top. The cross was cut before the loaf went into the oven to "let the faeries out" I always thought the speed and ease were because of Granny's amazing bread making skills. Which was strange, because other than the bread, she wasn't much of a cook at all. In fact, Grampa did most of the cooking.
Quick Breads
In reality, anyone can easily make this bread. It's a quick bread, so the leavening agent is baking soda, rather than yeast. So there is no wait time, minimal mixing, and no kneading. There are many versions of Irish Soda Bread. But soda bread didn't actually originate in Ireland. This bread can be traced back to early indigenous peoples of North America. You can read more about it here: Soda Bread.
Buttermilk Is Key
This one is the closest to Granny's bread that I can get. The buttermilk is key, and without it, the bread will taste completely different. I used a cast-iron skillet to bake the bread, but you can just use a baking sheet, too.
Want to try more savory quick breads? Check out Feta & Sun-Dried Tomato Bread.
Recipe
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup porridge oats + 2 tablespoon for topping
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon cold butter
- 2 cups buttermilk + 1 tablespoon for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°
- In a large bowl, combine flours, oats, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender, or your fingers.
- Make a well, and pour in buttermilk.
- Stir together quickly, being careful not to over mix. (dough will be sticky)
- Shape by hand into a flat round about 8" across
- With a sharp knife, score a large, deep X across the top.
- Use a pastry brush to glaze the top with buttermilk, then sprinkle with oats
- Bake in center of oven for about 30 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Lorrie
I tried the recipe using powdered buttermilk from bulk barn and turned out great. I'm going to package as dry mix for friends and neighbors for Christmas gifts, along with soup jar mix!
Thanks for the recipe.
Colleen
I LOVE that idea for Christmas gifts, Lorrie! Thanks so much for sharing, and Merry Christmas!
Sunny J
Thats interesting . I have not heard of this dish because we do not make much of the bread either we eat as it is or use in the cake. This is nice experiment to do . I will surely try this. And I do not have a problem with buttermilk 🙂 lol
Thanks for sharing
Colleen
Sunny, I hope you enjoy!
Isabelle @ Crumb
What a gorgeous loaf! I honestly make soda bread at least once a month during the colder seasons... it's such a nice, quick way to get a loaf of fresh bread on the table without all the extra hassle of a yeast-leavened bread.
I usually just go with a simple all-purpose flour version, but I'm loving the heartiness of the whole wheat and oat combo you've got here, especially since that extra sprinkle of oats makes it look so pretty. Bookmarking it so I can make a loaf the next time I'm craving some carby goodness! 🙂
Colleen
Thanks Isabelle! Soda bread is a really nice way to get a quick loaf, like you say. I've actually never had it with all purpose flour, so maybe I'll try it that way next time. (When It's my turn for craving fresh baked carbs 🙂
Marisa
I love the look of this bread with the sprinkle of oats on top and the fact that it's baked in a cast iron skillet. I've been wanting to try bread making for a while now and this sounds easy enough for my first attempt. Delicious?
Colleen
Thanks Marisa! This is much easier to make than a yeast bread. I hope you give it a try!
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Letting the faeries out! I didn't know about that part 😀
It's funny, while I have some Irish heritage (pretty distant though - my family's been in Canada a looooong time), it was actually my English grandfather (and my only grandparent born outside of Canada) who made Irish soda bread all the time for his kids. I have no idea how that came to be 'his bread,' but there you have it. I've been meaning to make it for years now - I'll have to make sure it has buttermilk in it too 🙂
Colleen
Yes, apparently, if you don't let them out, they'll put a curse on your bread! 🙂