Irish Soda Bread

5 from 5 votes

My Irish Soda Bread recipe gives you a rustic and simple homemade loaf with an incredibly easy dump-and-mix list of ingredients. It's the easiest homemade bread you can make! With no need to wait for your dough to rise, this recipe is done from start to finish in less than one hour.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Irish

Servings:

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

12-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins or currants
1 large egg beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoon butter melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the raisins.
In a smaller bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine using a spatula or a wooden spoon.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until the dough forms a smooth ball. Dust the outside with a bit of flour and place onto an ungreased cast iron skillet or baking sheet.
Use a sharp knife to score the top of the dough into an "X" shape about an inch deep. This is to help heat get into the dough as it bakes.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. To check if the bread is done, when you tap the bottom of the bread it should sound hollow.

Notes

Wrap it well with plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container. You can also keep it on a cake plate with a dome. It'll last 3-4 days at room temperature.
To avoid freezer-burn, wrap your loaf well with both plastic wrap and foil. You can pre-slice it before freezing to make thawing faster. It'll last 3 months in the freezer.
To thaw, leave it at room temperature for an hour or two. You can also use your microwave if it has a bread defrosting function.

Nutrition