Traditional Irish White Soda Bread

With just four ingredients you can have this delicious Traditional Irish White Soda Bread on the table in no time. Easy to make, with no kneading or proving anyone can make this bread. Perfect for your St.Patrick's Day celebrations.

This white soda bread is the bread I grew up with. Perfectly dense, and crumbly it's great with soups and stews or with some good Irish cheese. I love all of those, but, to truly enjoy this bread I love it simply with some good Irish butter.

I don't make a lot of bread. I just don't have the patience for all that kneading and proving. Soda bread is the only bread I make myself, maybe because it's in my DNA. For me, no bread can come close to a freshly baked soda. Be it plain white soda or a more traditional brown soda.

Why Do They Call It Irish Soda Bread?

We call it soda bread due to the bicarbonate of soda used in the bread. The bicarbonate of soda or bread soda is used to help the dough rise. Years ago yeast would not have been readily available. Bread soda was a great substitute for making bread.

What You'll Need

• Flour - this is a white soda bread so you'll need plain white flour. Not strong flour.
• Buttermilk - you should find this in most supermarkets or good farm shops. Traditionally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. This is why it was used to make bread. It was readily available in most houses.
• Bicarbonate of Soda - Also known as bread soda. This not only helps the bread to rise but it also gives this bread its unique flavour.
• Salt - I use finely ground sea salt, table salt is fine too.

How To Make White Soda Bread

1. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
3. Add half of the buttermilk.
4. Using your hand, in a claw-like shape, start mixing the flour and buttermilk. Add more of the buttermilk until you have a sticky dough consistency.
5. Once the dough comes into a ball shape tip it out onto a floured board. Wash and dry your hands.
6. Using the palm of your hand flatten the dough into a disk roughly about 4 cm deep. Cut a cross in the dough then transfer the dough to a floured baking tray then bake. Once the bread is baked pop it into a wire tray to cool slightly.

Tips for Making The Best Soda Bread

• Make sure your oven is preheated before you add the dough.
• When the dough is in the oven remember to reduce the heat after 15 minutes!
• Flour - Not all flour is created equal, even with plain flour you will find different protein contents. This will affect how much buttermilk your dough will need. If you find that the dough is on the thin side you will need to add more flour, if you find your dough is too dry you may need more buttermilk. So start small, add more as you need it.
• Buttermilk - I recommend using real buttermilk for best results. You will see that I have listed a varied amount in the recipe, this is because it will vary according to the flour you use. See above.
• Don't forget to cut a cross in the dough. This is not just for "letting the Devil out of the bread" but helps the heat get into the thickest part of the dough and helps the bread to cook evenly.
• Don't over handle the dough! The more you handle this dough the tougher the bread will be, it needs a light mix with your fingers. So, handle with care for a lighter bread.
• Get the bread into the oven quickly! The bicarbonate of soda starts working with the buttermilk as soon as you mix it together. So to get that lovely rise on the bread, get it into the oven quickly!
• Once the bread has cooled slightly wrap it in a clean, damp tea cloth, this will help soften the crust.

Some FAQs

I can't find buttermilk what can I use instead? If you can't find buttermilk then you could use sour milk. Traditionally, soured milk was used to make soda bread. If you don't have sour milk you can make your own. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to plain full-fat milk, stir then leave it for about 30 minutes. The milk won't be as thick and creamy as the buttermilk but it will do the same job. You could also use natural plain yoghurt in the place of buttermilk too. If you use this method the amount you need will vary, add a smaller amount to the flour first, then add more as you need. Any leftovers can be used to make pancakes.

Can I use baking powder instead of bicarbonate of soda?  No, bicarb of soda is a leavening agent, it makes the dough rise, it reacts with an acid (the buttermilk) and then produces small gaseous carbon dioxide bubbles, which gives the bread its rise. Baking powder already has acids present and reacts differently. This will also affect the flavour of your soda bread and possibly the texture of the crumb and the rise.

How Long Does White Soda Bread Last? This bread is best eaten on the day you bake it. If you do have any leftover, it's best to toast it, which is really good too!  You can keep it wrapped, for about 3 days.

Can I Freeze Soda Bread? Yes, you can. Bake the bread then leave it to cool. Double wrap the bread tightly, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the bread overnight. You can reheat the bread in the oven if you want it warm. Pop it in a preheated oven at 150C/300F for about 10 minutes.

Some Of My Favourite Irish Recipes:

• Potato Farls (Irish Potato Bread)
• Irish Potato Cakes
• Drop Scones
• Irish Potato Soup
• Tea Brack

Have you made this White Soda Bread Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!