Soda Bread with Irish Butter (Printable Version)

Rustic Irish soda bread with a crisp crust and tender interior, perfect for warm buttery serving.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
04 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk

→ For Serving

06 - 4 tablespoons Irish butter, room temperature

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar (if using).
03 - Create a well in the center and pour in most of the buttermilk. Mix gently with your hand or a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms, adding additional buttermilk if necessary.
04 - Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly for approximately 30 seconds just to bring it together—avoid overworking. Shape into a round loaf about 2 inches thick and place on the prepared baking sheet.
05 - Cut a deep cross (X) on top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
06 - Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm, thickly sliced with generous spreads of Irish butter.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • The whole process takes under an hour from bowl to warm bread on your table
  • That crisp crust giving way to a tender, slightly tangy crumb feels like pure comfort
  • You probably have everything in your kitchen right now, no special ingredients needed
02 -
  • Work quickly once you add the buttermilk, the chemical reaction starts immediately and you want to bake while its active
  • The cross cut isnt just decorative, it helps heat penetrate the center and encourages that rustic split
  • Underbaked soda bread is dense and gummy, so trust the hollow tap test more than the timer
03 -
  • The dough should be shaggy and slightly sticky, not smooth and dry like yeast bread
  • If your loaf browns too quickly, tent it with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking
  • Soda bread truly is best the day its made, but leftovers make excellent toast

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