Irish American Soda Bread

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Soda bread is a a quick bread, or a bread that uses baking soda as a leavening agent instead of yeast which means it doesn’t need much time to set up.

What To Expect From This Soda Bread Recipe

I am not a purist when it comes to soda bread despite my Irish roots. We grew up having many different versions of soda bread that was enjoyed for different reasons. There is something about Irish soda bread that is so delicious and perfect with a cup of tea.

After studying varies recipes, I noted that most American versions of soda bread are made with all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour in soda bread changes the texture and the taste to be more cake-like with less crumb.

This recipe is:

• a cross between American soda bread (cake-y) and a brown bread (traditional)
• slightly sweet
• courser with a tender crumble

Ingredients and Substitutions

Make sure to check the ingredients before you get to baking! While you may have some of these ingredients in your panty, you may not have all!

Baking soda is super important in this recipe (hence the name soda bread 😊).

Baking soda reacts with an acid (buttermilk) which causes a chemical reaction so the bread can rise.

• If you substitute Irish-style flour for whole wheat flour, then it will make it taste more like a yeast bread
• If you substitute the bread flour for all-purpose flour, then it will be slightly denser

Flour Types

Traditionally, soda breads are made using a whole grain flour but let’s take a look at what flours you may come across and how they differ in soda bread.

Wholemeal or wholegrain flour is made by using the whole grain of wheat. This adds nutrition, flavor, and density to baked bread. It can be referred to as Irish-style flour. This has a nuttier taste and adds depth and coarseness in soda bread.

Whole wheat flour is finer than wholemeal flour because it’s ground down. This flour has less of the bran than wholemeal flour. It has a nutty taste but not has much depth in soda bread because its less course.

All-purpose flour is made from a mix of hard and soft wheat that has been stripped away of all of the fiber in wheat. The nutritional value is lower than the other two listed above but it’s lighter in density and works in almost any recipe! This flour makes soda bread lighter, more crumbly and cake-like.

Bread flour is used in recipes that use yeast. It’s a sturdy flour with a protein content is enough to create more gluten and a better rise in breads. If you add this to your recipe, then it adds a chewiness.

Brown Bread VS. Soda Bread

Now that we know the differences in flours, let’s understand another comparison you may come across. A brown bread often gets used to describe soda bread and vice versa. It’s a term used for a bread made with wheat flours instead of all-purpose flours.

A brown bread is made with wholemeal flour and isn’t sweet. It’s dense and crumbly with a nice hearty flavor.

Soda breads that you find in American grocery stores can be made with all-purpose flour with lots of added sugar and eggs to make a more cake like texture. It’s oftentimes lighter and sweeter, and doesn’t have the traditional crumb.

How To Bake Irish American Soda Bread

Gather your ingredients. I suggest using a scale to weigh ingredients because its much more accurate and saves time. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

First, weigh out each ingredient. Then, in a mixing bowl add both flours, sugar, baking soda, salt and gently whisk to combine. In the photo above you can see just how course wholemeal flour is.

Next, add currants (or raisins if you are subbing) and gently whisk. You can omit the dried fruit but it won’t have a nice touch of sweetness once baked.

Add the butter chunks to the mixing bowl and using your hands or a pastry fork, work in the butter until no large pieces are left.

Once combined, turn the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently press down the dough with your palm so it’s about 2-2 1/2-inches thick. Then, with a serrated knife, score an “X” across the top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes and check with a toothpick. If it doesn’t come out clean, add a few minutes and check it again until the toothpick is clean. Look for a golden brown in color with a crusty top.

Serving and Storing

Eat this bread right away with butter or jam (YUM). You can keep Irish soda bread at room temperature for about 2 days or refrigerate for 5 days. You can toast this bread with a slice of butter!

RECIPE CARD

Sources:

McMahon, Jp. The Irish Cookbook. Phaidon, 2020.

Smithsonian Institution. (2010, September 21). Classic Irish Soda Bread. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved February 2023, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/classic-irish-soda-bread-100150720/