The main difference between soda bread and many other types of bread is that soda bread relies on the reaction between baking soda and buttermilk for leavening instead of yeast. Soda bread is heavier and than yeast breads and is wonderful in heartier meals like stews and meat dishes. It is fabulous toasted and slathered with butter!

History of Irish Soda Bread

Soda Bread was not actually invented by the Irish as many people assume. American Indians would use soda ash (a natural soda in wood ashes) as a leavening agent in their bread baking. So “soda bead was popular in the colonies before the idea was exported to Ireland.

Baking soda wasn’t introduced to Ireland until around 1845. Before this, Irish housewives would use yeast with poor results. Yeast does not mix well with the type of “soft wheat” grown in Ireland’s wet climate since it is low in protein and therefore low in gluten strength. Without this high gluten strength, the bread made from “soft flour” (which is made from the “soft wheat”) will not rise like a bread made from “hard flour” and yeast.

Not only was Ireland’s climate working against the Irish, yeast was also expensive! Many families were just too poor to afford it. When baking soda was introduced to Ireland, it offered a relatively inexpensive and effective substitution.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread has only 4 ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. I have made it in the traditional manner, and I find it to be bland. The following recipe, while not traditional, is very tasty. If you want a more traditional taste you should leave out the sugar and raisins.

A Quick and Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Here is a recipe for Soda Bread that got rave reviews at my last St. Patrick’s Day Party. We had it with corned beef, but it is great with a hearty stew or pot roast too. I love it in the morning slightly toasted with butter, yum!

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

*If you do not have buttermilk on hand, just add 1 1/2 tbsps of lemon juice or white vinegar to your milk and let it sit for 5 minutes

Baking Your Irish Soda Bread

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix it well. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredient with a fork or your fingertips. Do this until the texture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together. If you are adding raisins stir them in now.

Turn the dough out onto a flour-coated work surface. Knead until the dough just about comes together, about 10 turns. Do not overknead the dough, you do not want it to be smooth! Pat the dough into a roundish shape about 2-3 inches thick.

Place on a greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. I use Pam baking spray. Score the dough by cutting a cross shape on the top of the loaf.

Bake until loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the loaf from the oven and cool on a wire rack to room temperature, 30-40 minutes.

Yummy! A popular variation on this bread is “Spotted Dog”, aka Soda Bread with raisins.

Enjoy!