Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Made with no yeast and only 5 ingredients, this moist, tender Irish soda bread will be baked and ready to slather with butter in just one hour!

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Appetizer, Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: Irish

Servings: medium slices

4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups full-fat buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Optional: 1 cup raisins or currants and increase sugar to 1 tablespoon if using

Preheat oven to 425℉. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar.
Make a well in the center, and pour in buttermilk. Stir gently until a sticky dough forms. Do not overmix or knead!
Rest dough in the bowl, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
With floured hands, turn dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, gently forming a 2-inch thick round loaf. Smooth the top of the loaf as best as possible.
Using a sharp, floured knife, score the top of the loaf with a ½” deep “X”. Dough will be sticky, so press into the dough, rather than sawing.
Bake on the parchment-lined baking sheet for 37-43 minutes until golden and hollow when tapped. If browning too fast, lightly tent with foil toward the end of baking.
Immediately cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving warm with butter.

Use full-fat buttermilk for a tender, moist, richly flavored loaf!
Resting the dough for 10 minutes allows it to hydrate, yielding an extra tender, moist crumb.
Scoring the loaf before baking helps expansion and encourages a crisp crust.
Prefer to test the internal temp of your loaf? It’s done when it reaches 195-200℉ in the center.