Irish Soda Bread with Buttermilk and Raisins
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Irish Soda Bread with Buttermilk and Raisins is a favorite St. Patrick's Day tradition. It's easy to make and incredibly delicious. The crumb is soft and tender, with a hint of sweetness and a subtle tang from buttermilk that makes it irresistible.
Apart from Shepherd's Pie and Irish Lamb Stew, soda bread is a classic tradition leading up to St. Patrick's Day.
Ingredients for Soda Bread Recipe
This simple-to-make bread is perfectly delicious with Emerald Isle comfort food or Irish Pub food. I make it often throughout the year.
Gather these ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
- Cold butter
- Buttermilk
- Raisins
How to Make Irish Soda Bread
The full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a quick overview of how easy this soda bread is!
Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees and lining a baking sheet or cast iron skillet with parchment paper.
- Make the batter: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until it resembles pea-sized crumbs. Add the buttermilk and mix until it comes together in a soft dough.
- Fold in the raisins: Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, sprinkle the raisins over the top, and knead a few times to incorporate.
- Shape the soda bread: Pat the dough into a 6-to 7-inch circle, marking the top with an "x" about ½ inch deep. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet or skillet.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the bread is a beautiful golden brown.
Is this Irish Soda Bread traditional?
While this soda bread recipe is a slight departure from the traditional, this is the one my family always requests. For a truly traditional soda bread, view my Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread recipe.
History of Soda Bread
Soda Bread was first created in the late 1830s when the first iteration of baking soda was introduced to the United Kingdom.
Access to ingredients to make bread became difficult during the Great Potato Famine. The inspiration for Irish Soda Bread was born from a necessity for inexpensive, easily obtainable ingredients. Traditional soda bread ingredients were "soft" wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and soured milk.
St. Patrick's Day in the United States
According to census data, 39.6 million Americans claim Irish heritage, and five million say they are of Scots-Irish heritage.
That number is almost seven times larger than the entire population of Ireland (6.3 million). After German, Irish is the most common ancestry of Americans, with the bulk of those claiming Irish ancestry residing along the eastern seaboard (Irish Central).
So whether you can claim the green or not, according to the National Retail Federation, says half of all Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day each year.
Lucky me-- and lucky you! We're in great company. It's a big deal at our house with our Irish heritage in nearly every branch of our family tree. And celebrate, we do!
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Irish Soda Bread with Buttermilk and Raisins Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cold butter cubed
- ¾ cup buttermilk, plus more if needed
- ⅓ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet or cast-iron skillet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse pea-sized crumbs. Add the buttermilk and mix just until it begins to come together. Add additional buttermilk if necessary until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, sprinkle the raisins over the top, and knead a few times to incorporate.
- Pat the dough into a 6 to 7-inch circle. With a floured knife, cut an "x" into the dough, about ½ inch deep. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet or cast-iron skillet.
- Bake the Irish Soda Bread for 35 to 45 minutes or until the bread is a beautiful golden brown. Transfer the soda bread to a rack to cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
Serving Ideas
I like to cut the loaf into wedges and served with a pat of Irish butter and a drizzle of honey. It's also delicious sliced and toasted the next day. Or -- make a second loaf for just that reason!Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I love this bread! Easy to follow instructions. Made it on a rainy afternoon and served it with Tea. Delicious!
Isn't it perfect with tea? I made another batch last weekend as well and as always, the family comes running.
Very tender and love the bread, usually don't because it's too dry & crumbly. Happy to offer a piece...thank you! I made Shepherd Pie and the soda bread will work perfect. ( ps. I used dry cherries)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I love adding the cherries— I’ll definitely have to try that variation. I have one in the oven right now for dinner too ☘️—
Any adjustments for high altitude? I'm at 5280'. Slainte!
That’s high! I’m only at a little under 1,000 feet so I haven’t tested this, but it’s a general rule of thumb that most quick breads need no adjustments. If you taste a slight bitter tone, reduce the leavening by a small amount. Here is a great resource for high altitude baking:
https://blog.wilton.com/high-altitude-baking/
Made this because the photo looked so beautiful. First time making it. It’s wonderful. Will definitely be making this again. Won’t be eating store bought anymore Thanks for posting
Hi Jeanne! I have the biggest smile on my face-- I'm so happy you found the recipe and enjoyed it. My family absolutely loves it too!
Made this today very good.Crust is perfect .Never made it before.Will definitely make again.
Hi Kathy! I’m so glad you liked it— thank you for trying the recipe ☘️
Absolutely delicious, and scrumptious! Thank you,its a keeper! 😊
Thank you for trying it, Julie! I'm so happy you enjoyed it.
Can you add a little more sugar to it?
Absolutely! I try to keep the sugar lower because we tend to smother our wedges with honey 😍.
Surprised caraway seed isn’t used?
Do you need to preheat the cast iron skillet beforehand or do you add the bread to the room temperature skillet?
Hi Clay— I do not preheat the skillet but do grease it or line with parchment.
lovely recipe..I'd cut the butter down a bit...I also am soaking my raisins in Tullemore Dew for the next batch...
Thank you so much! Soaking the raisins will be so delicious— and make the soda bread extra special ☘️
Can add a egg to the rescipe ?
Thank you
Mary
Hi Mary! You can definitely add an egg. The texture will be a bit more dense but still really good.