No St. Patrick's Day feast is complete without a side of crispy, tender soda bread. Wouldn't you agree? In my mind, the traditional Irish bread is simply a necessary addition to any meal you serve on that holiday.
Want to know what the best part about soda bread is? It only takes five inexpensive ingredients to make. FIVE! That's it. And I can guarantee that you already have every single one of those ingredients in your pantry. So folks, there's no braving the cold to run to the grocery store today. Phew.

Check out that beautiful, crispy crust.
What's even better about this bread though, is that it doesn't need any time to rise. Nada. None whatsoever. Because who really has time to wait for that? Not this girl! (Unless it's for this focaccia of course, then I have all the time in the world to wait for that goodness to rise!) Especially when I'm ready to get that food in muh belly!
Now, I know a lot of people like to put berries and all kinds of mix-ins in their soda bread (which there is certainly nothing wrong with!), but for now I've decided to keep things simple. Which is nice if you don't want to make that grocery store run just to pick up some raisins.
If you serve this bread for breakfast with some honey butter or raspberry jam slathered on top, then I bet you won't even miss those raisins mixed in. Crazy right? But, I mean if raisins or currants are your jam (excuse my pun, heh), then totally throw a handful or two in! I certainly won't stop you.
Whether you decide to serve up a hearty Irish Breakfast or some traditional corned beef and cabbage, like my mom always used to make when I was a kid, this soda bread is a must-have side for your holiday meal.
Print📋 Recipe
Quick and Easy Soda Bread
A quick and easy recipe for crispy and tender soda bread. This traditional Irish bread is perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any day of the year!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Inactive Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tbsp white sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Spray a bread pan with cooking spray.
- Stir together all ingredients and mix until they form a soft dough. Dough may be a little sticky. Add more buttermilk to the dough if it is too dry.
- Transfer dough to the prepared bread pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.
Notes
Adapted from Plain Chicken.
If you don't have buttermilk on hand you can substitute milk and vinegar instead. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Let sit for 5 minutes or until milk begins to curdle. Then use in place of the buttermilk in the recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
Try my Light and Fluffy Brioche Bread next!
Leave a Reply