These soda farls are one of the easiest bread you can make. They can be on the table in under 30 minutes and they taste amazing with butter and jam! And you only need 4 ingredients to make these!
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This is one of my favourite treats from my childhood! My nan used to make these farls in a flash. There was no weighing of ingredients, everything was done by eye and they always tasted amazing!
Growing up in Ireland I had these a lot and they were always a treat! Made fresh and eaten warm with propper Irish butter and jam. That's still how I make them for my family today.
Traditionally soda farls were also served in Northern Ireland with a fry up known as the Ulster Fry. I am from the southwest of Ireland and we never had them with a fried breakfast, soda bread was served with an Irish breakfast where I come from. But we still enjoyed a good soda farl.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- They're so easy to make - this really is the easiest bread to make, no need to turn on the oven either! It's cooked in under 20 minutes on the hob.
- Just 4 simple ingredients! All you need is flour, buttermilk, bicarbonate of soda and salt! That's it!
- No kneading! This is a yeast free bread so no need to spend ages proving or kneeding.
- Have them anytime of the day! You can eat these with butter and jam or serve them with a fried egg and mushrooms. They are great as a breakfast or as a tea-time treat.
What You'll Need
- Flour - you'll need plain (all-purpose) flour for this recipe. No need to sift it, I never do.
- Buttermilk - you will find buttermilk in most large supermarkets, in the dairy aisle. If you can't find buttermilk then please see below for instructions on how to use milk instead.
- Bicarbonate of soda - also known as baking soda. This is essential for this recipe. Bicarb of soda acts as a leavening agent which lightens and softens the dough. That gives the farls a light texture.
- Salt - You only need half a teaspoon of salt for this but it really does make a difference. Without salt your farls would rise too fast and they'll have a weaker structure and not much flavour.
How To Make Soda Farls
1. Start by tipping the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. Give that a good stir then make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk.
2. Mix the buttermilk into the flour mixture until you have loose dough. Tip the dough onto a floured board then quickly kneed it to bring the dough together. Press the dough into a round shape then cut it into quarters.
3. Heat a skillet over a low heat, sprinkle some flour on the skillet. Place the farls on the floured skillet and cook for about 8 minutes, then turn the farls using a turner and cook for another 8 minutes. The farls are done when they are browned on top and cooked through. Leave them in the skillet to cool slightly before serving.
Top Tips
- Don't over work the dough, it just needs to be brought together quickly then shaped into a round. I don't use a rolling pin for this, just the palms of my hands. The more you work the dough the tougher your farls will be.
- Use a good cast iron skillet - if you have a well-seasoned cast iron skillet this is perfect for making farls. If you don't have one then a good non-stick heavy based frying pan will work too.
- Keep the heat low - this is the best way to cook your farls. If the pan is too hot the outside of the farl will cook quickly and the inside will still be raw. So have the heat on low, all the time.
- Make sure your bicarb of soda is still good - it's hard to tell if your bicarb of soda is still good. It can lose it's potency and if this happens you won't get good results when making these farls. So if you're not sure test it first! To test it add a teaspoon of bicarb of soda to a bowl, add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. If the mixture fizzes up straight away it's still good. If you don't get much fizz at all bin it, or use it for cleaning!
- Test that the farls are cooked - you can do this two ways, you can pierce the farls with a skewer, if it comes out clean they're done. I test them by hand, press your fingertips on the top of the farl after they have been turned and have been cooked for the second 8 minutes. If they are firm to the touch with no wobble they are done!
FAQs
Soda bread is baked in the oven, farls are cut into quarters and are always cooked on a skillet on the hob. The word ‘Farl’ comes from the Scottish word ‘fardel’ which refers to a three-cornered cake or the fourth part of a round.
We love these with butter and jam. In Northern Ireland, they are eaten with an Ulster fry. This is a cooked breakfast.
These farls are really best made fresh and eaten as soon as they are cool enough to eat. They are best eaten warm.
More Traditional Irish Recipes
Whether you're celebrating St.Patrick's Day or just want a taste of home I have you covered! My Irish Colcannon is the perfect side dish, we have it with my favourite veggie stew for the ultimate St.Patrick's Day dinner. My potato farls are the perfect breakfast for St.Patrick's Day, just serve with a fried egg for the best breakfast ever! And if you need a traditional Irish dessert my Irish Apple Tart is one of the most popular recipes on my blog since I posted the recipe.
Irish Soda Farls
Ingredients
- 300 g (2¼ cups) of plain flour (all-purpose flour) + more for dusting
- 280 ml (1⅛ cup) buttermilk
- 1 ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt I use sea salt finely ground
Instructions
- Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a large mixing bowl, stir everything together.Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the buttermilk.Stir the flour and buttermilk together. You should have a sticky dough, that is not too wet.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured board and very briefly kneed it to bring the dough together.Shape the dough into a round, press the dough down to a width of half an inch and it should measure around 8 inches in diameter.Cut the round into quarters.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over low heat, sprinkle the skillet with a little flour.Place the farls in the skillet and cook for about 8 minutes then turn and cook for a further 8 minutes.The farls are cooked once they are brown and crisp on the outside and cooked in the middle.
- Leave them to cool slightly in the skillet before serving them.Cut open the farls with a bread knife then serve with butter and jam, I love them with raspberry jam.
Notes
- Don't overwork the dough, it just needs to be brought together quickly then shaped into a round. I don't use a rolling pin for this, just the palms of my hands. The more you work the dough the tougher your farls will be.
- Use a good cast iron skillet - if you have a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet this is perfect for making farls. If you don't have one then a good non-stick heavy-based frying pan will work too. My skillet measures 9 ½ inches in diameter.
- Keep the heat low - this is the best way to cook your farls. If the pan is too hot the outside of the farl will cook quickly and the inside will still be raw. So have the heat on low, all the time.
- Test your bicarb of soda is still good - it's hard to tell if your bicarb of soda is still good. It can lose its potency and if this happens you won't get good results when making these farls. So if you're not sure test it first! Add a teaspoon of bicarb of soda to a bowl, add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. If the mixture fizzes up straight away it's still good. If you don't get much fizz at all bin it, or use it for cleaning!
- Test the farls are cooked - you can do this two ways, you can pierce the farls with a skewer, if it comes out clean they're done.
- Nutritional Information - is calculated using an online nutrition tool and is approximate. It is based on one farl and does not include butter or jam.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients using a digital scale if possible, for best results.
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