Irish soda bread
Vegetarian
Quick Irish loaf leavened with bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk instead of yeast — crusty outside, soft and slightly tangy within.
Irish soda bread is an Irish bread from Ireland, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, baking soda and buttermilk. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 20 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Beginner
- Calories
- 225
Method
Step 1
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) and dust a baking tray with flour.
Step 2
Sift the flour, soda and salt into a bowl. Pour in most of the buttermilk (opens in a new tab) and mix quickly with a spoon or your fingers into a soft, slightly sticky dough, adding the rest if dry.
- 3 min
Step 3
Turn onto a floured surface and shape lightly into a round about 4 cm thick — don't knead. Place on the tray and cut a deep cross into the top.
- 3 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 4
Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven (opens in a new tab) and bake until well browned and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
- 40 min
- 200°C · after the first 15 minutes at 220 °C
Step 5
Cool on a rack wrapped in a clean tea towel for a softer crust. Serve with butter (opens in a new tab).
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Ireland · Well documentedAlso popular in United KingdomMore food from Ireland
- Dish
- Breakfast · Lunch · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked
- Taste
- mild, tangy, savoury
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style - Good for
- Budget-friendly · Everyday
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Baking soda · Buttermilk
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom buttermilk, butter
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
225 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 109 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 14%
- Carbohydrate 82%
- Fat 4%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 225 kcal | 207 kcal |
| Protein | 7.5 g | 6.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 45.4 g | 41.6 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 43.9 g | 40.2 g |
| Sugars | 2.9 g | 2.7 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 1.5 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 1.1 g | 1 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.4 g | 0.4 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 2 mg | 2 mg |
| Sodium | 529 mg | 485 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.3 g | 1.2 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 138 mg
- Calcium
- 68 mg
- Iron
- 2.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 18 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 7 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 166 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: butter.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Work fast — the soda starts reacting as soon as the buttermilk goes in.
Common mistakes
- Kneading the dough, which makes the bread heavy and tough.
Serve with
- With butter and jam, or alongside soups and stews.
Storage
- Best on the day; keeps 2 days wrapped, or toast it. Freezes well.
Variations
- Brown soda bread (Ireland): Made with a mix of wholemeal and white flour, sometimes with oats.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- All-purpose flour450 g
- Buttermilk400 ml · 412 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 10 min
Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.
Bake · about 40 min at 220 °C
Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.
Cool · about 30 min
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
- Start to finish: about 1 h 20 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 450 g | 100% |
| Buttermilk | Other liquid | 412 g | 91.6% |
| Salt | Salt | 6 g | 1.3% |
| Baking soda | Raising agent | 5 g | 1% |
- Total flour
- 450 g
- Hydration
- —
- With milk, eggs…
- 82.4%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Salt 1.3% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
If something goes wrong
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
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