Irish Soda bread is one of the easiest and quickest breads to make, has a lovely crispy crust and a delicious soft crumb.
As the daughter of a master baker I love the smell of fresh baked bread. I can still remember waking up in the mornings to the smell of fresh baked bread.
So carrying on the family tradition of baking, all be it in a smaller way, I often bake my own bread. It gives me such satisfaction. Although not difficult to make good yeasted bread takes time to rise (I currently make sourdough bread most frequently and it takes about 14 hours to make from start to finish).
But sometimes you need a loaf in a hurry and this is where soda bread comes into its own. It still tastes fabulous and has a great crust but it only takes minutes to make and then it's straight into the oven to bake.
I would love to say that I was given this recipe by my Irish mother-in-law and that it has been in the family for years, but while she was a most remarkable and lovely woman (I was very lucky on the mother-in-law front!), she would have been the first to admit that she was no cook.
But even without a long family history this recipe is a good traditional one with just a couple of minor tweaks.
Soda bread is often made with all wholemeal flour or half wholemeal and half plain flour, but I find both a bit heavy so opt for a mixture of 2 parts white flour and 1 part wholemeal. It gives a good texture with some of the benefits of the wholemeal flour.
The other change I have made is that traditionally soda bread is made with buttermilk. The acidity of the buttermilk reacts with the bicarbonate of soda in the bread to produce CO2 which makes the bread rise.
These days even in London, I find buttermilk hard to find unless I go to a large supermarket and so I make mine with natural yogurt instead which works just as well.
Use full fat rather than low fat natural yoghurt and not a Greek style or set yogurt – I have found Yeo valley natural yogurt works well.
Flavoured Soda bread
If you like plain soda bread why not experiment and try adding some extra flavourings to the bread. I like the following variations but you could also try experimenting yourself to make your own favourite flavoured bread. Stir into the bread before adding the yogurt.
- Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary and handful of sultanas
- Add 2-3 tablespoon snipped chives
- Sauté 1 thinly sliced small onion in a little olive oil until just golden and add to the dough
Soda bread is best eaten the day it is made but if you want to keep it to the following day then pop it in a bag to help keep it moist. It also freezes well so you could pop what you don't need into the freezer for another day.
Step by step soda bread
This really is an easy recipe so, if you loved fresh baked bread but don't think you consider yourself a bread maker, why not give it a go you may just surprise yourself.
Place the flours, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl. Add the yogurt. Mix to a soft sticky dough. Shape into a ball. Score into quarters and dust liberally with flour before baking. Bake until crust is golden and loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Irish Soda Bread
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 125 g plain wholemeal flour
- 275 g plain white flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 500 g carton full fat natural yogurt
- extra flour for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200℃/190℃ Fan/gas mark 6. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with baking parchment.
- Place the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Add the yogurt and mix to a soft sticky dough. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly, then shape into a ball.
- Place on the baking sheet and flatten the ball with your hand, then score a deep cross into the dough almost but not quite cutting the dough into quarters. Dust liberally with flour.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the bread is risen and a golden brown.
- Transfer to wire rack to cool. Best eaten on the day it is made.
Jan says
As I can't eat much yeast, I have been a fan of soda bread for years. This recipe is the best ever! I use 170gm of spelt flour instead of plain wholemeal, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Have to lower the oven temp to 180 (fan) - I guess it's just finding out what works for you. Brilliant.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Best ever that's quite a compliment thank you:) Oven temperatures can vary from oven to oven, so great that you have worked out what is correct for your oven. I sometimes use s[pelt flour in my bread too.
Michele says
This bread was delicious and turned out well. I actually used natural greek yoghurt as it was all I had in the fridge with no issue. The dough was rather claggy on shaping and I was a wee bit concerned but it rose beautifully and looked great too
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I use Greek yoghurt sometime soon but it is a little thicker so sometimes I tend to add a spash of milk as well. That said it like yours it always turns out well which is why this such a great easy recipe.
Julie says
Hi Jacqueline.
Thank you for sharing such an easy and delicious bread recipe. It is fabulous when eaten fresh. However, for me, it’s even better toasted and topped with butter,
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
yes, it really is so simple isnt it? Delighted you like it and as you say makes great toast too. Thank you for commenting and rating the recipe much appreciated. j x
Juanita says
The most amazing & easy bread recipe ever! Andy says that it takes him 30 mins to prepare his dough then 4 hours in a bread maker to make one wholemeal loaf!
Next time I will add sultanas & Rosemary to the dough as that sounds exciting!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Don't you just love it when you happen upon a really easy recipe that's super useful. Glad you like it so much. Good bread is one of life's small pleasures and really isn't that hard to make.
Rachel says
Could you substitute the combinations of flours for oat and rice flour possibly?Id like to make it gluten free. The other ingredients are suitable for my diet as I suffer with Chrohns. I know the flours can be different with dryness and moistness, there can be issues with coconut flour? I'm not knowledgeable on baking.
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Hi Rachel. To be honest I am not very knowledgeable about gluten free baking. But my sister may be able to help as she has recently been diagnosed celiac. She is an excellent baker (it runs in the family as my dad was a Master Baker) so I will have a word with her and see what she has to say. If she needs to test it, it may take a few days to get back to you. Hope you dont mind waiting. Jacqui
Rachel says
Thank you so much x
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Hi Rachel
Sorry it has taken so long to reply. My sister a few variations on the recipe and was successful using both all white and all brown gluten free flour from Dove Farms. Although the texture was slightly more dense with the brown flour she felt that one had the flavour. She added and extra 1/2 tsp baking powder.
Hope this helps. If you give it a go I would love to know how you got on
j x
Errol says
That was the first handmade bread that I've made. That made it taste all the better with the rosemary and sultana's. Thanks for the recipie.
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Oh so glad you liked it. It's really easy isn't it.
Charlotte Oates says
I love the sound of your rosemary and sultana version, I'll have to give that combination a try.
Jacqui says
Its a flavoured bread i have bought from an artesian bakery before so i decided to give it a try with soda bread and was just as good. Hope you like it too.