Sourdough Irish soda bread is my take on a traditional Irish quick bread. Risen with the acidity of buttermilk, sourdough starter, and baking soda, it has a tender crumb similar to biscuits and is full of buttery flavor, a light sweetness, and sourdough tanginess. I love the rustic presentation of this beautiful, golden brown boule.
Irish soda bread is a type of quick bread common in Ireland, with a history that stems from necessity.
It was originally made with only four ingredients: flour, sour milk, salt, and baking soda. This made for a frugal, but filling loaf of bread.
Over time, it has been modified from the most basic ingredients to also include more modern luxuries like eggs, butter, and dried fruits. Find more fun information on the history of traditional soda bread here.
This was a fun loaf to customize for a sourdough version. It’s rustic and delicious, and the sourdough works well in combination with the buttermilk.
The starter adds great flavor, and the texture and flavor of the loaf made it a hit.
I think one of the best parts is that it’s a literal mix-and-bake recipe. If you find yourself making dinner and lacking a side, this recipe calls for basic ingredients that a frequent baker likely won’t need to run to the grocery store for.
Pantry staples are gently combined, formed into a boule, and baked in a preheated oven for about an hour.
There’s not much better than a slice of soda bread smothered with butter and honey or homemade herb butter.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
All-purpose bread: Serve it toasted and buttered at breakfast with eggs and fried potatoes, buttered and spread with strawberry jam for an afternoon snack with a cup of tea, or as a thick slab alongside a hearty dinner. Irish soda bread is truly an all-purpose bread.
Same-day bake: On those days that you find yourself in a pinch for fresh bread or a filling side dish, this simple bread is a no-brainer. With no waiting time for rising or proofing, it comes together in just over an hour.
Simple but hearty: This easy soda bread recipe pulls together minimal, simple ingredients for a delicious, satisfying loaf. It’s easy enough for beginners, and still a great recipe for any baker to enjoy. The loaf is filling, tasty, and a delicious way to incorporate starter or discard.
Tips
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding a spoonful of lemon juice or white vinegar to milk. It won’t be as thick as buttermilk, but it’s a great substitute and will perform the job well.
- This recipe is pretty adaptable as far as flavor profiles go. Modify the seasonings, spices, and add-ins to fit the occasion. Easily make it sweeter or more savory. Some typical pairings are raisins and caraway seeds or cranberries and citrus zest. If you’re adding dried fruit at the end, gently fold it in with a spatula to avoid working the dough too much.
- You can use sourdough discard or active starter for this recipe. Discard will add a stronger tangy flavor to the bread than active.
- Don’t overmix the dough, but stir only until it all just comes together. Some lumps are okay, and this will keep the crumb tender.
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Tools
Large mixing bowl
Smaller mixing bowl
Parchment paper
Lame or razor for scoring
Cooling rack
Ingredients
All-purpose flour – Unbleached white flour is easy and gives consistent results.
Baking soda – This is the rising agent, working with the acidity of the buttermilk and starter to give the bread rise.
Salt – Sea salt adds flavor and balance.
Unsalted butter – Cold butter cut into small pieces for blending into the flour.
Buttermilk – This acidic ingredient reacts with the baking soda to rise the bread.
Egg – An egg adds more structure to this loaf.
Cane sugar – A very small amount for just a touch of sweetness.
Sourdough starter – You can use active starter or discard.
How to Make Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. During this time, we will prepare the bread for baking, ensuring a nice, hot oven when it’s time to bake.
Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper for easy cleanup and no sticking.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to your large bowl, stirring well to combine. What’s more dissatisfying than a surprising clump of baking soda?
Chop the cold butter into small pieces, then add it to the dry ingredients.
Using either your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly with the butter in pea-sized or smaller pieces.
In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, sugar, and sourdough starter or discard until combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, then mix somewhat tenderly until just combined. You don’t want to overmix.
Turn out the dough on a clean work surface and form it into a round loaf.
Place onto your prepared baking sheet, then score a deep cross or X on the top of the loaf. This will help the bread to bake more evenly (plus it’s tradition!).
Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 50-65 minutes, checking at the 30-minute mark. If the top of the bread is getting too dark, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil while it finishes baking.
Bake time will depend on how wide or how tall the loaf is shaped.
Cool the loaf on a wire rack completely before slicing. Serve and enjoy!
Storage
While this fresh bread is truly best eaten the same day, you can also store it in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Make sure it’s fully cooled first.
For longer storage, wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container for several months. Thaw at room temperature.
FAQ
Irish soda bread is a quick recipe, requiring no long-fermenting or long rises. The rise in this bread comes from the addition of tangy buttermilk and baking soda rather than yeast. The rise in sourdough bread comes from wild, natural yeast.
This comes partly from Irish superstition, but it also encourages an even bake. Round loaves are often tall in the center, which may leave the center underdone. The deep cross slashes allow heat to dristribute more evenly through the loaf. I also love the classic look of the round loaf and cross.
Raisins, currants, etc. add sweetness to soda bread and are traditional components of this classic Irish bread.
Gummy bread can arise from not baking long enough or even from cutting into fresh bread too quickly without letting it cool.
More great bread recipes like this one:
- Sourdough Italian Bread
- Pain de Mie (Pullman Bread)
- Buttermilk Sourdough Bread
- Delicious Sourdough Breadsticks
- Easy Sourdough Flatbread
Self-Paced Online Course
Simple Sourdough
What’s in this course?
- Make your own robust starter
- Bake your first loaves of sourdough bread
- Understand sourdough better
- Expand your sourdough bread repertoire
- Download my Complete Recipe Book
If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me @farmhouseonboone on Instagram if you make it.
Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 490 g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt, 5 g
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces 84 g
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk, 336 g
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar, 24 g
- ½ cup sourdough starter, active 113 g or discard 125 g
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 400℉.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to your large bowl, stirring well to combine.
- Chop the cold butter into small pieces, then add it to the dry ingredients.
- Using either your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly with the butter in pea-sized or smaller pieces.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, sugar, and sourdough starter or discard until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, then mix somewhat tenderly until just combined. You don’t want to overmix.
- Turn out the dough on a clean work surface and form it into a round loaf.
- Place onto your prepared baking sheet, then score a deep cross or X on the top of the loaf. This will help the bread to bake more evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 50-65 minutes, checking at the 30-minute mark. If the top of the bread is getting too dark, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil while it finishes baking.
- Bake time will depend on how wide or how tall the loaf is shaped.
- Cool the loaf on a wire rack completely before slicing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding a spoonful of lemon juice or white vinegar to milk. It won’t be as thick as buttermilk, but it’s a great substitute and will perform the job well.
- This recipe is pretty adaptable as far as flavor profiles go. Modify the seasonings, spices, and add-ins to fit the occasion. Easily make it sweeter or more savory. Some typical pairings are raisins and caraway seeds or cranberries and citrus zest. If you’re adding dried fruit at the end, gently fold it in with a spatula to avoid working the dough too much.
- You can use sourdough discard or active starter for this recipe. Discard will add a stronger tangy flavor to the bread than active.
- Don’t overmix the dough, but stir only until it all just comes together. Some lumps are okay, and this will keep the crumb tender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was my first recipe I tried using my sourdough starter. It turned out so well and was super easy to make. So delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Can you be more specific about how to adjust “regular” Sourdough recipes to become einkorn sourdough….less fat and liquid, yes, but how much for each recipe…..?
OMG! This is so good. Great recipe and definitely will do again and again. Everyone loved it. And super easy to make.
Note however that the result is not the typical bread (makes sense given the milk, egg and butter) but almost a scone like bread. It is amazing toasted with butter and jam, as advertised.
Also, the sourdough flavour is almost indiscernible, even though it uses quite a bit of starter. But that’s ok, other recipes definitely have that sourdough flavour and I can get it there.
Thank you very much for this!