Irish Soda Bread Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

Easier than corned beef and cabbage, more authentic than green beer -- Irish soda bread is a delicious way to enjoy Irish culture and history on St. Patrick's Day. In fact, soda bread has its origins in the Irish Potato Famine; it wasn't a fancy treat, but a staple for hungry households. Keep reading to learn more about making classic Irish soda bread, and how to dress it up a bit too.

The Basics of Irish Soda Bread: Baking Soda, Buttermilk, Flour, and Salt

Soda bread gets its name from baking soda. Instead of using yeast to leaven the bread, the Irish used baking soda. The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread (yes, there is such a group, and they have a website) explains that while yeast works well with hard wheat flour, baking soda is a better leavening agent for soft wheat flour.

(As an aside, the difference between hard and soft wheat flour is protein content. Hard wheat flour has more protein and develops more gluten than soft wheat flour.)

Baking soda can't work alone though. Buttermilk reacts with baking soda to cause Irish soda bread to rise. It's the acid that neutralizes the alkaline soda.

Finally, soda bread needs a  dash (or more) of salt, for taste.

Irish Soda Bread: The Original Version

As the Soda Bread Society notes, anything beyond baking soda, buttermilk, flour, and salt is a tea cake -- not Irish soda bread. Stella Parks from Serious Eats spent a month baking with exactly these ingredients to perfect her Real Irish Soda Bread recipe. Click over to see her photos; they will convince you to give it a try.

Two key points to take away from Parks' experimentation: First, don't use a buttermilk substitute. While even the Soda Bread Society says you can add lemon juice to milk or mix up buttermilk from powder, we side with Parks in this point. She advocates for buttermilk based on pH and viscosity. We say it never hurts to have a quart of buttermilk in the refrigerator.

Second, check out the differences in texture and rise based on the amount of mixing Parks did with separate batches of dough. Mix a little for a rougher crust and lower rise; mix a lot for a smoother crust and higher rise.

Irish Soda Bread: Spotted Dog

We were amused to find that the kind of Irish soda bread with raisins we've made over the years is actually known as Spotted Dog. While we came across multiple recipes for Spotted Dog, this one from Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork grabbed our attention. It hails from a cooking school in Ireland and closely follows the original soda bread recipe with minimal additions.

We like how this recipe adds raisins to the dry ingredients, which makes it simple to mix them in. Try plumping the raisins in water first to give them even more moisture. Definitely sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to ensure they're thoroughly combined; use a fine mesh strainer if you don't have a sifter. Watch the liquid as you add buttermilk so your dough doesn't get too wet and sticky. Finally, don't forget to cut a cross in your round to help ensure your Irish soda bread bakes through.