This Irish Soda Bread recipe is a rustic, mildly sweet quick bread that doesn’t require any yeast at all. It is so easy and super quick to put together, a great crusty exterior, and keeps well for days.
Since St. Patrick’s day is almost upon us, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you my favorite recipe for Irish Soda bread that’s baked in a skillet. Because I love all things made in a skillet, why not bread?
There’s nothing better than the aroma of freshly baked bread, it will make you kinder to your neighbors, it will even make your neighbors kinder to you! Just open a window and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Irish Soda Bread, A Must Make!
I love my Irish soda bread recipe, it’s almost like a raisin bread because it’s slightly sweetened, and you can add other ingredients to it, like chocolate chip, raisins, or any seeds or nuts. I like to have this bread toasted and buttered for breakfast with a good cup of coffee in the morning. It’s perfection!
Bread making seriously doesn’t get any easier! If you’re looking for a quick loaf of bread, requiring only a few ingredients, then this bread is for you.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour – All purpose flour works best. You can use gluten-free flour for this recipe as well.
- Sugar – Plain granulated. This is going to add a touch of sweetness.
- Salt – Salt is imperative when it comes to baking, don’t skip it!
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder – These will act as our leaveners and also give us a super tender bread.
- Raisins – Your choice! You can use other mix-ins like nuts or dried cranberries as well.
- Mix-ins – You can add various things to this bread, like chocolate chips, raisins, caraway seeds or other seeds, and your favorite nuts.
- Egg – I used large eggs. Eggs are actually optional in a soda bread, they add richness and density, so feel free to skip the eggs for a slightly lighter loaf.
- Buttermilk – You can make your own buttermilk with 1 1/2 cup milk and 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Butter – Melted! I like to use unsalted butter so I have full control over the sodium. Margarine or lard can be used instead.
How to Make Irish Soda Bread
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a skillet with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Make Dough & Knead: In a smaller bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon. Dust your hands with a little bit of flour and knead the dough, either in the bowl if it’s large enough, or over your floured work surface. Knead it gently just until you can form a rough ball. Do not over knead the dough.
- Score: Place the dough in the skillet and score the top in an X shape or a couple lines about an inch in depth, to help cook the center.
- Bake: Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
This is a type of quick bread which uses baking soda and baking powder to give the loaf some airiness. No need to wait for this bread to rise since there’s no yeast required at all! After a very quick knead, it’s ready to pop in the oven.
Irish soda bread has a nice crust, a dense and soft interior. It’s not a heavy bread at all and keeps well for days, getting a bit chewier as the days go on.
It really is up to you and what you like. Try adding dried cranberries, or cherries, perhaps some dried apricots. Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds would be great in this bread. The sky’s the limit!
You’re looking for a nice, light golden brown color on the crust. Carefully turn the loaf upside down, and give it a knock on the bottom. Use a clean dish towel or two to protect your hands from the heat. It should sound hollow when it’s fully cooked. You can also use an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loaf. It’ll read 200ºF when the bread is done.
Tips
- If your dough is too wet, add a bit more flour, a little bit at a time.
- The secret is to not over knead the dough! You just want to knead it until it comes all together enough to form a ball so you can place it in the skillet.
- Don’t have a skillet? You could use a regular baking sheet instead!
- With just a touch of sweetness, this bread can be enjoyed for breakfast with a nice hot cup of coffee or tea (with a splash of Irish cream, of course).
Storing Soda Bread
Irish soda bread can dry out quickly, so it is best to store it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container to preserve it longer. You can store it like this for about 3 to 4 days.
Freezing
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. Grab a slice or two as needed! 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.
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Irish Soda Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar granulated
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon butter unsalted, melted
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a skillet with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Make Dough & Knead: In a smaller bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon. Dust your hands with a little bit of flour and knead the dough, either in the bowl if it's large enough, or over your floured work surface. Knead it gently just until you can form a rough ball. Do not over knead the dough.
- Score: Place the dough in the skillet and score the top in an X shape or a couple lines about an inch in depth, to help cook the center.
- Bake: Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Flour: If your dough is too wet, add a bit more flour, a little bit at a time. The dough should just come together into a ball. Do not over knead.
- Storage: Irish soda bread can dry out quickly, so it is best to store it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container to preserve it longer. You can store it like this for about 3 to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Nutrition: Nutritional information is for 1 slice and assumes 12 slices per bread. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
- The secret is to not over knead the dough! You just want to knead it until it comes all together enough to form a ball so you can place it in the skillet.
- Don’t have a skillet? You could use a regular baking sheet instead!
- With just a touch of sweetness, this bread can be enjoyed for breakfast with a nice hot cup of coffee or tea (with a splash of Irish cream, of course).
Have made this several times now, adding different bits each time, favourite so far was ginger and walnut. This recipe never fails but I do usually have to add a little more flour. What book is this recipe in?
This recipe is not in either of my books, I only have it here on the blog.
Great recipe for that something a little different to snack on !
Glad you enjoyed it, Guy.
Awesome! Easy to make and so easy to eat!
The bread was very good. Lighter than most soda breads that I’ve made. The dough was very wet even after I added 3 Tbs of flour plus the flour on my hands when I tried to knead it. Ended up just using a Danish whisk and thoroughly mixing. Again, maybe depending on what link is clicked you get a variant of the recipe. I clicked print on the recipe with chocolate chips and got the recipe with raisins and carroway
I think the other version must have been cached somehow, because I just changed the recipe a bit.
We in the West Indian community of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, have passed this Irish Soda Bread recipe down from one family to another ….and as many West Indian families have made it a wonderful breakfast break…but with different ingredients and it has held as ours a West Indian Sunday come back from Church Bread with Tea. It has been said”We are more so,holy because of Sunday Bread.” Politicians must have this on Sunday.
Irish soda bread recipe question: baking powder and baking soda are both sodium bicarbonate. So why use two essentially identical products instead of just one?
The baking powder here does most of the leavening and the baking soda is added to neutralize the acids and add tenderness to the bread.
I always use currants not raisins but will try this version. Love Irish Soda Bread no matter what is in it!!! Thanks for your recipes.
Yovnne
Leave out the caraway seeds and baking powder and use buttermilk. This bread is eaten at tea time (early evening) in Ireland and yes Lott’s of butter! If can bake it over a fire you will be rewarded!
What size skillet do you use? Cast iron? Thanks
Anything from a 10 1/2 to 12 inch skillet should be fine.
If you wanted to use raisins , would you use the same amount as chocolate chips ?
Yes, I added a cup of raisins.