The Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

Is there a difference between soda bread and Irish soda bread? ›

Sweeter Soda Bread

On this side of the Atlantic, what we call "Irish soda bread" is more rich and sweet, usually studded with raisins and caraway seeds.

Too much liquid added, or it hasn't been baked enough. It should go on the top shelf of the oven and it should be baked for at least 30-35 minutes.

The essential ingredients in traditional Irish soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The acid in buttermilk reacts with the base of the baking soda to provide the bread's leavening. This leavening from buttermilk and baking soda is what gives the bread its name: "soda bread."

Soda bread is quick to prepare and is a low-fat, yeast-free option. It may help alleviate symptoms of bloating and discomfort.

In Ulster, the wholemeal variety is usually known as wheaten bread and is normally sweetened, while the term "soda bread" is restricted to the white savoury form. In the southern provinces of Ireland, the wholemeal variety is usually known as brown bread and is almost identical to the Ulster wheaten.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer registers about 200ºF when inserted into the center of the loaf, or it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer the bread onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 to 2 hours before slicing.

And finally, don't immediately cut into the Fast Irish Soda bread when you pull it out of the oven. Although this bread is best served warm, cutting into it too quickly will turn the bread gummy.

If you've ever tried Irish soda bread and not liked it, don't go running off yet! Chances are good that the bread you ate suffered from one of three common problems: improper amount of baking soda (a gross, salty-bitter taste), over cooking (a dry, chalky texture), or undercooking (a soggy, doughy center).

Serve a slice with a stew.

Traditionally, Irish soda bread is served with a slow-simmered beef and barley stew.

I was always told that the cross on the top of Irish Soda Bread was to symbolize the Catholic faith of Ireland, and the Gaelic Cross. Some say it kept the Devil out, but that is what a cross is supposed to do also. Turns out that is true but more importantly, it helps in the baking of the bread.

Do you leave soda bread to rise? ›

Rustic, hearty bread made using baking soda for rise instead of yeast but still has an aerated, chewy crumb like normal bread. No rise time! Traditional Irish recipe – no egg or butter, it's better without (read in post). use a combination of white and whole wheat flour for best flavour.

All other ingredients are mostly the same, including flour, baking soda, salt and milk. The texture is usually made up of a hearty, thick crust with a soft, fluffy middle. It's hard to explain, but trust me, it's good stuff. Costco's Irish soda bread is made by Nellie Duncan and comes in 2.5 pound loaves.

Because soda bread is not yeasted bread, kneading it just makes it dense and hard. To develop its trademark soft crumb, you touch the dough as little as possible while shaping it.

A unique cooking method that gave soda bread its dense texture, hard crust, and slight sourness. Despite its humble beginnings, Irish soda bread has become a large part of the typical St. Patrick's Day feast and plays a major role in Ireland's culinary history.

Irish soda bread has a couple of other names, too: When we attended a class at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, they made this loaf and called it a Spotted Dog. It's also called white soda bread, American Irish soda bread, or fruit soda bread.

Bread soda is also known as bicarbonate of soda and baking soda. A good substitute for buttermilk, if you need sour milk in a recipe, add 1/2 teaspoon of Shamrock Bread Soda to 150ml fresh milk.

*If you don't have access to KA's whole meal Irish-style flour, you can substitute Whole wheat pastry flour. It will be finer, and the loaf a be a bit moister, but it is an adequate substitute.

It was for everyday use, and its distinctive soft, crumbly, dense texture results from the "soft" wheat that grows in the cool climate of Ireland, meaning that it doesn't have enough protein to form the gluten structure of yeast-raised breads. Hence the use of baking soda, originally potash, as a leavening agent.