Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
This Sourdough Irish Soda Bread uses basic ingredients and is known for its dense texture and crusty top. This is the perfect easy no rise bread for St. Patrick’s Day or for anytime you want a delicious and quick homemade bread.
If you’re looking for more easy bread recipes, check out Sourdough Lemon Rosemary Bread, Honey Butter Dinner Rolls, Sourdough Discard Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, or Sourdough Irish Brown Bread With Guinness.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Ready In: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Makes: 10 servings
- Main Ingredients: sourdough discard, all purpose flour, salted butter, buttermilk
- Flavor Profile: tangy, fluffy, homemade bread that uses sourdough discard
- Dietary Info: no seed oils, eggless
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: homemade bread recipe ready in about an hour
Summarize & Save This Content On
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy AF: I love this recipe because it is so easy! You can mix this all up in your stand mixer or by hand, it's no fuss.
- Quick Homemade Bread: This homemade bread is incredibly quick to make. In about an hour, you can have fresh bread for any occasion!
- Uses Sourdough Discard: I love recipes that use sourdough discard as something that would have been waste is used to create something delicious. The sourdough discard brings a little tang to this bread that is so good!
- Egg Free: This sourdough bread is naturally eggless, has sourdough flavor, and is a great recipe for when you want bread fast!
This recipe is another byproduct of my ongoing collaboration with my friend Hannah at Make It Dough! Some of our past collabs include Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies, Sourdough Hot Dog Pretzel Buns, and Sourdough Strawberry Pop Tarts.
While I am not Irish, I did grow up in a very Irish community. Living on the South side of Chicago, St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal! While everyone was celebrating with corned beef and cabbage, green beer, and Irish Soda Bread — I was just happy to partake in the Ireland celebrations that included food!
This Sourdough Irish Soda Bread is an easy no rise bread. That makes this an incredibly simple homemade bread recipe. This classic St. Patrick’s Day bread can be served with the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage or you can eat it any night of the week with a big slab of butter with any dinner you’re making.
While this is a traditional St. Patrick’s Day bread, it's also a great quick bread recipe to make anytime as you can have homemade fresh bread in under 2 hours! This easy no rise bread also makes amazing French toast as it's thick and soaks up batter well. Use up leftovers and make Sourdough French Toast Sticks, which is what I usually do!
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour: My favorite is Cairnspring Mills All Purpose Flour, and it's what I used in this recipe.
- Baking Soda: You'll need baking soda as this is what makes this quick bread rise.
- Sourdough Discard: You can use your sourdough starter straight from the fridge, you don't need active starter for this type of quick bread.
- Buttermilk: I use Organic Valley Buttermilk, but you can also make it yourself with my Organic Buttermilk Recipe.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- You need to use cold butter, straight from the fridge.
- Make sure the butter is coated in flour. This process is very similar to making pie dough in your stand mixer. So, if you are familiar with that, then it’s the same thing! This prevents excessive gluten from developing which results in soft and fluffy soda bread!
- Let the dough rest. Don’t skip this part, as it’s incredibly important! The gluten has to relax in order for the dough to be shaped smooth, and that’s why this step is so important. It will make the dough way less sticky and you’ll be able to shape it into smooth ball.
- Knead the dough until smooth. It needs to be smooth and not sticky, so you can slice it with a knife. Slicing this bread into 4 quarters allows the inside to bake completely while also providing this bread with a crisp crust and tender light crumb.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check to see if your bread is done. This one should register 200°F when probed, before you pull it out! Also, look for a golden brown crust.
- If you want add in additions to this traditional soda bread, you can add in raisins, caraway seeds, dried cranberries, orange zest, currants, or even something fun like chocolate chips! I recommend about 113 grams of whatever ingredient you want to add in.
- Store at room temperature covered. I like to keep mine in my cake dome!
- High Altitude — Bake for 30 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and registers at least 200°F when probed with an instant-read thermometer.
How to Make Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Line a baking sheet or 10-inch skillet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix for 2 to 3 rotations to combine.
- Combine the buttermilk and sourdough discard until completely dissolved. Set aside the buttermilk mixture. Make sure the discard has fully dissolved or you may end up with gummy spots in your bread.
- Cut the chilled butter into small cubes.
- Add to your stand mixer. Mix until the mixture looks like wet sand (similar to if you make pie dough in your mixer!).
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk and sourdough discard mixture until the dough comes together, it will look like a sticky dough and not smooth.
- Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the flour to thoroughly hydrate. After the rest period, the dough should feel less sticky and be easier to work with. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Dust a clean work surface with 1 tablespoon of flour (about 7 grams, but you can use more if needed). Turn your dough out onto your floured surface. Knead the dough 4 to 5 times until your dough looks smooth. Make sure your dough is smooth or your bread may end up with gummy spots.
- Using the edge of your palms, round the dough into a tight ball.
- Transfer the dough on your prepared baking sheet or skillet. I use my Caraway 10.5-inch skillet, (get a discount with code MIMIBAKES).
- With a bench scraper (or a sharp knife), cut the dough into quarters (like a deep cross or X). Cutting the dough through allows your loaf to bake completely in the center. Pinch the edges together so the dough bakes into a round loaf and doesn’t separate.
- Bake the dough for 30 to 45 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and registers at least 200°F when probed with an instant-read thermometer. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
- Let it cool completely before cutting for nice clean cuts.
How to Serve Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- While this is traditional St. Patrick's Day bread, you can serve it with classic like corned beef and cabbage.
- Try it with cozy dinners like Hearty Meat Pie With Chuck Roast, Organic Meatloaf With Bone Broth, Slow Cooker Pumpkin Stew, or Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Stew.
- Even though this is an Irish bread, it's really a delicious quick homemade bread recipe you can enjoy with soups like Ham Bone Soup, Healthy Beef Soup With Leeks, How to Make Turkey Carcass Soup With Bone Broth, 5 Ingredient Bone Broth Vegetable Soup, or Meyer Lemon Chicken Wild Rice Soup.
- This bread also makes amazing French toast as it's thick and soaks up liquid well. Try it with my Meyer Lemon French Toast.
- I love this with a simple slab of butter and jam. It's even delicious with flavored butters like Blueberry Butter Spread and Homemade Garlic Herb Butter.
- Try this with melted cheese and fresh herbs for a delicious way to enjoy. I like to grate cheese onto a slice, air fry and top with fresh basil or parsley!
Recipe FAQ's
No, we're actually using baking soda in this bread for leavening. No yeast! So, this is a great bread to make when you want a quick bread and don't have any yeast.
Baking soda is the leavening agent used in soda bread to make it rise. It replaces yeast, making it easy and quick to make homemade bread without yeast.
No, you do not need a stand mixer for this recipe! While I use it for ease, you can just mix everything together by hand too.
Yes, you can do the kneading in your stand mixer if you prefer. You can swap out the paddle for the dough hook. You may need to add a bit more flour into the dough as it kneads, just like you would if kneading by hand.
This is a sticky dough, feel free to add in more flour to make it easy to work with. Just don't add too much, just enough so you can work with the dough.
Because there is no yeast, it does not need to rise.
Soda bread is cut like a cross to help ensure the bread bakes all the way through.
This can happen if you over mix the dough, which can develop too much gluten. This can then make your bread more tense or tough.
If you under bake this or slice it before it's cooled, it can cause it to be gummy inside.
I keep mine in my cake dome as this bread is soft, so it should be kept airtight to retain it's texture. If it does get a little stale, use it for French toast as it's nice and thick so it works really well.
Yes! Just wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap in foil. Freeze the loaf for up to 3 months. Just thaw and it's ready to use.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
Loved it? Tell us!
Thanks a waffle lot for stopping by 🧇 If you loved this recipe, sprinkle some love by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review — it inspires others to try this recipe and helps me organically reach dog loving foodies like you! I personally read and appreciate every message!
Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and join John John and me in the kitchen for step by step recipe videos! And subscribe to our newsletter for new and seasonal recipes!
Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 300 grams all purpose flour (plus for more kneading)
- 4 grams fine sea salt
- 3 grams baking soda
- 113 grams sourdough discard
- 226 grams buttermilk
- 56 grams salted butter (cold cut in cubes)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet or 10-inch skillet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix for 2 to 3 rotations to combine.
- Combine the buttermilk and sourdough discard until completely dissolved. Set aside the buttermilk mixture. Make sure the discard has fully dissolved or you may end up with gummy spots in your bread.
- Cut the chilled butter into small cubes and add to your stand mixer. Mix until the mixture looks like wet sand (similar to if you make pie dough in your mixer!).
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk and sourdough discard mixture until the dough comes together, it will look like a sticky dough and not smooth.
- Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the flour to thoroughly hydrate. After the rest period, the dough should feel less sticky and be easier to work with.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Dust a clean work surface with 1 tablespoon of flour (about 7 grams, but you can use more if needed). Turn your dough out onto your floured surface. Knead the dough 4 to 5 times until your dough looks smooth. Make sure your dough is smooth or your bread may end up with gummy spots.
- Using the edge of your palms, round the dough into a tight ball. Transfer the dough on your prepared baking sheet or skillet.
- With a bench scraper (or a sharp knife), cut the dough into quarters (like a deep cross or X). Cutting the dough through allows your loaf to bake completely in the center. Pinch the edges together so the dough bakes into a round loaf and doesn’t separate.
- Bake the dough for 30 to 45 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and registers at least 200°F when probed with an instant-read thermometer. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
- Let it cool completely before cutting for nice clean cuts.
Video
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- Use cold butter, straight from the fridge.
- Make sure the butter is coated in flour. This process is very similar to making pie dough in your stand mixer. So, if you are familiar with that, then it’s the same thing! This prevents excessive gluten from developing which results in soft and fluffy soda bread!
- Let the dough rest. Don’t skip this part, as it’s incredibly important! The gluten has to relax in order for the dough to be shaped smooth, and that’s why this step is so important. It will make the dough way less sticky and you’ll be able to shape it into smooth ball.
- Knead the dough until smooth. It needs to be smooth and not sticky, so you can slice it with a knife. Slicing this bread into 4 quarters allows the inside to bake completely while also providing this bread with a crisp crust and tender light crumb.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check to see if your bread is done. This one should register 200°F when probed, before you pull it out! Also, look for a golden brown crust.
- If you want add in additions to this traditional soda bread, you can add in raisins, caraway seeds, dried cranberries, orange zest, currants, or even something fun like chocolate chips! I recommend about 113 grams of whatever ingredient you want to add in.
- Store at room temperature covered. I like to keep mine in my cake dome!
- High Altitude — Bake for 30 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and registers at least 200°F when probed with an instant-read thermometer.
Nutrition
The Bake Shop
Visit The Bake Shop for foodie inspired tees, sweatshirts, and accessories. Find my favorite kitchen tools (with discounts!) in the Kitchen Shop. And shop our collection of food inspired dog accessories too!
This bread is so easy! I also love using it for French toast!