Irish soda bread with butter (Printable)
Rustic Irish bread with crisp crust and tender crumb served warm with creamy butter.
# What goes in:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
04 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
→ For Serving
06 - 4 tablespoons Irish butter, room temperature
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar if using.
03 - Create a well in the center. Pour in most of the buttermilk. Mix gently with your hand or wooden spoon until soft dough forms, adding more buttermilk as needed.
04 - Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead briefly for 30 seconds to bring together. Shape into round loaf about 2 inches thick. Place on prepared baking sheet.
05 - Cut a deep cross on top of loaf with sharp knife. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.
06 - Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm, thickly sliced with generous spreads of Irish butter.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- You can have fresh bread on the table in under an hour, start to finish, which feels like magic on busy weeknights
- The contrast between that shattering crisp crust and tender interior makes each slice feel like a special occasion
02 -
- Overworking the dough will make your soda bread tough instead of tender, so handle it as little as possible
- That cross cut is not just decorative, it helps the heat penetrate to the center of the loaf while baking
03 -
- If you do not have buttermilk, mix regular milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice and let it sit for five minutes
- The cross cut should be quite deep, about a quarter of the way through the loaf, for proper expansion