From scratch · Quick breads
Irish soda bread
Four ingredients, no yeast: baking soda and buttermilk raise a round loaf in under an hour.
✋ 10 min hands-on
⏱ 1 hr 18 min start to finish
🍽 One round loaf, about 1½ lb.
ContainsWheat, Milk.
Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 6 g table salt
- 1¾ cup buttermilk, plus a little more if dry
Time
Hands-on time is when you’re busy; the rest is rising, simmering, chilling or cooling, when you can do something else.
| Step | Hands-on | Waiting |
|---|---|---|
| Mix and shape | 10 min | – |
| Bake at 425°F | – | 38 min |
| Cool | – | 30 min |
| In all | 10 min | 1 hr 8 min |
How long it keeps
- Counter: wrapped, best within 2 days; it stales faster than yeast bread.
- Freezer: wrapped once cool, 2 to 4 months (University of Missouri’s time for quick breads); thaw in the wrapping, 1 to 2 hours.
Nutrition
Estimated from the ingredients’ USDA FoodData Central numbers.
Steps
You’ll need: bowl, baking sheet or cast-iron skillet.
- Heat the oven to 425°F and flour a baking sheet.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Pour in the buttermilk and stir with your hand or a spoon just until a soft, shaggy dough forms; don’t knead it.
- Turn it out, shape it gently into a round about 2 inches high, and cut a deep cross in the top.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until browned and hollow-sounding underneath. Wrap in a towel for a soft crust, or cool on a rack for a crisp one.
⚖️ ScalingThe buttermilk’s acid is what makes the baking soda work: use real buttermilk or the buttermilk stand-in, not plain milk.
🛡 SafetyDon’t taste raw dough or batter, and wash your hands and the counter after handling flour: raw flour can carry germs that only baking kills (FDA).
Sources
- Food Storage Guide (FN579), NDSU Extension, reviewed January 2023. Accessed 2026-10-25.
- How to Freeze Home-Prepared Foods (GH1505), University of Missouri Extension. Accessed 2026-10-25.
- Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to Know, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-10-25.