Irish Soda Bread
No-yeast, no-knead bread — crusty outside, tender inside, ready in under an hour.
Budget Friendly
Quick & Easy
Ingredients
- 450g all-purpose flour (or half wholemeal, half white)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 350ml buttermilk (or milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice)
- Butter, for serving
Instructions
- 1 Preheat oven to 220°C (430°F). Lightly flour a baking sheet.
- 2 Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- 3 Make a well in the center. Pour in buttermilk.
- 4 Mix quickly with a fork, then bring together with your hands into a rough, shaggy dough. Do not knead or overwork — 30 seconds of handling maximum.
- 5 Shape into a round about 5cm high. Place on the baking sheet.
- 6 Cut a deep cross into the top, going almost to the base.
- 7 Bake for 15 minutes at 220°C, then reduce to 200°C (390°F) for another 25 minutes until golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
- 8 Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes — if you can wait that long.
- 9 Tear into chunks and serve warm with salted butter.
About This Recipe
Irish Soda Bread is the fastest real bread you can make. No yeast, no rising time, no kneading — just flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt, mixed quickly, shaped into a round, scored with a cross, and baked for 40 minutes.
The cross on top isn't just decorative — Irish tradition says it lets the devil out and blesses the bread. Practically, it helps the heat penetrate the thick center. Eat it the day it's baked, still warm, with salted butter.
