This easy Irish Soda Bread is a classic quick bread with a golden, crusty exterior and a soft, buttery crumb inside. Baked in a loaf pan for perfectly sized slices, it’s studded with raisins and a touch of orange zest for a loaf that’s just right alongside a bowl of soup, toasted with butter for breakfast, or served as part of a St. Patrick’s Day spread.
If you love easy homemade breads, you’ll also want to try this no-knead beer bread and this Boston brown bread. For a full Irish feast, pair the bread with corned beef and cabbage.
Before You Get Started
Irish soda bread comes together quickly, but a few key steps make the difference between a dense loaf and a beautifully risen one. Keep these in mind before you start:
- Make sure your butter is very cold. Cut it into small cubes and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Working cold butter into the dry ingredients (just like you would for biscuits or scones) is the key to a tender, flaky texture.
- Don’t over-mix the dough. Stir just until everything comes together and no dry pockets of flour remain. Overworking activates the gluten and leads to a tough, dense loaf.
- Get the bread in the oven quickly. The baking soda starts reacting with the buttermilk the moment they combine. The longer you wait, the more leavening power you lose.
How to Make Irish Soda Bread
Many traditional soda bread recipes yield a huge round loaf, but this version bakes in a standard loaf pan for perfectly sized slices and just the right amount of bread for a meal or two. Here’s how to put it together:
Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and mix on low speed until the butter is incorporated. You should see small, pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the flour mixture.
⇢ Use a pastry cutter if you don’t have a stand mixer. You can also use two forks or your fingertips to work the cold butter into the flour by hand.
Step 2: Add the Wet Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, sour cream, and orange zest.
Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.
⇢ Only grate the outer layer of the orange peel. That’s where all the fragrant oils live. The white pith underneath is bitter, so stop as soon as you see white.
Step 3: Fold in the Raisins
Toss the raisins (or dried currants) with about 2 teaspoons of flour, then gently fold them into the dough. The flour coating helps the fruit stay suspended throughout the bread rather than sinking to the bottom.
Add the caraway seeds at this point, too, if you’re using them. They’re entirely optional, and plenty of people skip them.
Step 4: Bake
Transfer the dough to a greased 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan. The dough will be very sticky, so dampen your fingers or spatula with a little water to help spread it evenly.
Bake at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The bread should sound hollow when you tap on it.
⇢ Check it at 35 minutes. Ovens vary, and you don’t want to over-bake. The crust should be golden brown and firm.
Step 5: Cool and Slice
Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. This loaf has a thick, crispy crust, so use a serrated knife for the cleanest slices.
What to Serve with Irish Soda Bread
The bread is delicious on its own at room temperature with a smear of butter. For a simple breakfast or afternoon snack, toast the sliced bread and add butter or jam alongside a cup of coffee or hot tea.
For dinner, pair it with a warm bowl of Guinness soup, Irish stew, chicken corn chowder, chicken vegetable soup, Crock Pot potato soup, or Texas chili. It’s also wonderful alongside classic corned beef and cabbage, sheet pan cabbage potatoes and sausage, crock pot corned beef and cabbage, sausage and cabbage, Mississippi pot roast, or a Reuben casserole for a St. Patrick’s Day feast.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Wrap the bread tightly or place it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
To freeze: Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Can the dough be made ahead? No. The baking soda and buttermilk start reacting the moment they combine, so the dough needs to go in the oven right away. Refrigerating unbaked dough will result in a flat, dense loaf.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Irish soda bread different from regular bread?
Irish soda bread is a “quick bread,” which means it uses baking soda and buttermilk as its leavening agents instead of yeast. There’s no kneading, rising, or proofing time required. The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide, which is what helps the bread rise in the oven.
Can I make Irish soda bread without a stand mixer?
Absolutely. Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips to work the cold butter into the flour until you see small, pea-sized pieces. Then stir in the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula. Just be careful not to overmix.
More Great Bread Recipes
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Irish Soda Bread
Equipment
- loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5-inch)
- stand mixer (or mixing bowl and pastry cutter)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons very cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon grated orange zest
- ⅔ cup raisins or dried currants, tossed with 2 teaspoons flour
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the cold butter and mix on low until the butter is incorporated into the flour. The little pieces of butter should resemble small peas throughout.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, sour cream, and orange zest.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined and no dry pockets of flour remain.
- Stir in the flour-coated raisins (or currants) and caraway seeds (if using).
- Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. The dough will be sticky, so it helps to dampen your fingers or spatula with a little bit of water so that you can spread the dough in the pan without too much sticking.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Butter must be very cold. This is the key to a nice, flaky texture. Cut it into small cubes and keep it cold until you’re ready to mix.
- Don’t overmix. Stir just until the dough comes together. Overworking makes the bread dense and tough.
- Bake the dough right away. The baking soda starts reacting with the buttermilk immediately, so don’t let the dough sit before baking.
- The buttermilk matters. The lactic acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise. Don’t substitute with regular milk.
- Toss raisins in flour before folding them in. This keeps them from sinking to the bottom.
- Caraway seeds are optional. Leave them out if your family doesn’t care for them.
- Use raisins, dried cranberries, or dried currants in this bread. You can also omit the dried fruit altogether for a plain loaf.
- Sour cream substitute: Plain Greek yogurt (full-fat) should work as a substitute, though the texture may be slightly different.
- Use a serrated knife to slice. The thick, crusty exterior cuts best with a serrated blade.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
- Freezing: Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
- For a traditional round loaf: Double all ingredients. Shape the dough into a large round on a rimmed baking sheet. Cut an “X” in the top about ½-inch deep. Bake at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 195°F.
Nutrition
Originally published in February, 2020, this post was updated in March, 2026.
The recipe seems really interesting, frankly i have not even heard of Irish Soda Bread. It is very well explained and looks good to have it with a cup of tea in the evening.
Thank you for this loaf pan recipe. I have been making the large round loaf and now that we are empty nesters, found them to be more than we need. Good.
Thanks, Jane! I felt the same way — a huge round loaf was just too much! Glad that this can help to solve that problem. 🙂
This looks Fabulous!!!! However, not any Irish Soda bread my Irish ( as in, in Irekand or born thete!) ever made
First no sugar. Ever. Sigar was expensive. Never used for bread. Sour cream??? Nope. No eggs, either.
Our family recipe is 4 c flour, baking soda 2 tsp, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2c buttermilk ( which you can make if you dont have it on hand– 1 c milk and 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar), and 1 stick of butter, melted.
Variations include currants, caraway seeds, or raisins – I prefer golden raisins, if you go the raisin route.
You can definitely make a whole wheat version– just use 3 c WW flour to 1 c white flour. Some folks add a wee bit of molasses, but we never do.
I will definitely try your fruity bread, cuz it looks delicious, but it isn’t Irish bread.
Thanks, Catherine! You’re right — this is definitely an Americanized version of a soda bread recipe. 🙂
Your family recipe sounds good, too!
Could I substitute 2% Fage plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream? I don’t keep sour cream in the house.
Hi Teresa! We haven’t tested this recipe with yogurt and can’t say for sure but think it would work. We’d love to know how it goes if you give it a try!