Irish Soda Bread
Grandma’s Irish Soda Bread? Nope.
I wish I could say this Irish soda bread recipe was handed down to me from my grandmothers, but they didn’t cook. Only one of my two grandmothers was Irish and that one really never cooked anything. I think she made me a sandwich once. Ha ha. Hopefully one day, however, my grandchildren will bake some of my recipes, Irish soda bread among them.
A Giant Scone in Need of Tea
Irish soda bread runs the range from very dry to very delicious. It is sort of like a giant scone with raisins. It is a really great accompaniment to tea which, frankly, is necessary. This particular recipe is not dry, but you will still want a beverage.
Irish Soda Bread is Not a Cake
You should also remember that Irish soda bread is not a cake. There is very little sugar in this recipe, but a lot of flour. The flour creates a dense, breadlike texture. Dense sounds bad, but buttermilk saves this Irish soda bread from being super dry. Don’t have buttermilk? It is pretty common in supermarkets this time of year, but you can also just make a substitute. To make buttermilk substitute, add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Pour milk into the container until you have one cup total liquid. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes. You will need 1 ½ cups of buttermilk, so increase the recipe proportionately. The buttermilk adds a great tangy flavor, so you don’t want to use plain milk in the recipe.
Easy Prep
One of the great things about this recipe is that you can mix it in one bowl. I didn’t even use my mixer. When the dough started to get really thick, I just combined it all with my hands. After the raisins go in, you can turn everything out onto a floured surface and knead it until the dough comes together. Shape into a circle, put it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and score an X in the center. I like to brush my Irish soda bread with egg wash, but it isn’t necessary.
Bake the Bread – and Then Bake Some More
Because Irish soda bread is very thick, you need to be sure you are baking it completely. I baked mine at 400 degrees. I thought it would be done at about 40 minutes, but it wasn’t ready until 55 minutes. You can test for doneness in a couple of ways. I stuck a wooden skewer into the middle and felt that it was gooey in there. I also researched the done temperature and it turned out to be between 200 and 205 degrees. I used my kitchen thermometer and took the bread out when it registered 203 degrees in a variety of places.
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up this week, so what better way to celebrate than with tea and some freshly baked Irish soda bread slathered with butter?
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 5 tbsp butter softened
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup raisins
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Everything can be mixed together in one large bowl.
- In the large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of flour and 1 tsp of baking soda.
- Add the softened butter (very soft!), brown sugar, egg, and buttermilk to the flour and baking soda. Mix together using a wooden spoon or a spatula. Make sure to mix up from the bottom.
- If the mixture gets too thick to mix with the spoon, you can finish mixing with your hands.
- Once the dough is combined, add the raisins. I also mixed these in my hand.
- Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough.
- Knead just a few times and then form circle with the dough. You don't need to flatten it out.
- Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet.
- Score an X in the top with a very sharp knife.
- Beat together the second egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a cup.
- Spread the egg wash over the surface of the bread dough with a pastry brush.
- Bake the bread until the center is no longer gooey with a wooden skewer is poked through the middle, about 55 minutes. Make sure you try this is a few spots. In addition, Irish soda bread is cooked at an internal temp of about 200-205 degrees F. I used a cooking thermometer to test it out. NOTE: All ovens are different. I would probably start checking for doneness at 45 minutes.
