Author: This simple Irish soda bread recipe is made with whole grain and all-purpose einkorn flour. Hearty, delicious, and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day! Also included are the instructions for making a sweet Irish soda bread with raisins and sugar!
Quick and Easy Irish Soda Bread
Traditionally, Irish soda bread is a no-yeast bread that uses a baking soda and buttermilk reaction to create the leavening, making it a classic quick bread recipe that can be enjoyed with many different meals. We have added a few more ingredients to make it a bit more manageable with the einkorn flour, however, you can omit the extra ingredients if desired!
We enjoy this bread alongside this cabbage and roast stew, or with apples and cheese as a quick and easy cold lunch option. You can also enjoy this soda bread toasted with strawberry jam and butter. Really, no matter how you choose to eat it, this bread is a winner!
Ingredients
- Fresh Milled Flour – We use einkorn flour, but you can use any fresh milled wheat you prefer. You can also use just all-purpose flour for this recipe, if you don’t have FMF on hand.
- All-Purpose Flour – Again, we use einkorn flour, but use what you have!
- Butter – Salted or unsalted butter can both be used with great results. This can be omitted if desired.
- Baking Soda – The staple of the recipe! Do not skip or substitute this ingredient!
- Salt – We use sea salt, but use what you have. Reduce the amount used if using table salt.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own with this very simple homemade buttermilk substitute recipe.
- Egg – One whole egg can be added to the bread to increase the strength of the einkorn flour, but it can be omitted for a more traditional bread.
- Oats – While sprinkling the top of the bread with some oats is traditional, it’s not strictly required. Though it does create a lovely finished product! Use gluten-free oats if needed!
Instructions
The egg and butter are optional in this recipe for a more traditional Irish soda bread experience. However, when using einkorn flour, I’ve found that they do help create a softer texture, as einkorn can be quite dense.
- In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg* together. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl.
- Work the cold butter* into the flour mixture. You can use a fork, your hands, or a food processor like I do in my einkorn pie crust recipe. Just work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a fine sand.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl and mix together just until a dough forms. You don’t want to overwork the dough – you should still see some dry flour (this is called a shaggy dough). Let the dough sit for a few minutes to allow the einkorn to absorb the moisture a bit before shaping.
- Onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, or into a seasoned cast iron skillet, turn the dough out and press into an even disc about 1- 1 1/2″ tall.
- Using a sharp knife, score the dough in a cross pattern, this not only creates a traditional soda bread appearance, but also helps the center of the dough to bake properly.
- Sprinkle the top with gluten-free oats, if desired. I add them because it gives a very nice finished look to the soda bread, but it doesn’t change the taste or texture at all!
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then drop the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 25 minutes, or until golden brown. The bread should sound hollow when thumped when it’s fully baked.
Note: The egg can be omitted altogether, and the butter as well. No additional modifications are needed, however, the bread will be denser in texture.
Don’t Skip the Buttermilk
While it might be tempting to simply sub in plain milk for the buttermilk in this recipe, don’t do it! The buttermilk helps create the taste and texture of the recipe, as it has a stronger reaction to the baking soda than regular milk does.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own with this very simple homemade buttermilk substitute recipe. You can even make it fully dairy-free if you’d like!
Whole Grain Einkorn versus All-Purpose Einkorn
This recipe calls for both whole-grain einkorn flour and all-purpose einkorn flour. The two work together to create a strong and fluffy texture. However, you can use all of one or the other if desired and still have a wonderful bread.
Using just all-purpose einkorn flour will yield an even fluffier loaf, while using all freshly milled einkorn flour will produce a more dense Irish soda bread.
Sweet Irish Soda Bread Variation
While traditional Irish soda bread only contains 4 ingredients: flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt… there are other beloved variations that have been around for a long time, such as the inclusion of currents or raisins and a bit of sugar.
If you’d like to try a sweeter variation, you can simply add additional items to this base recipe.
- To the dry goods bowl, add 3 tablespoons of sugar before cutting in the butter. Continue as normal.
- After adding the buttermilk to the dry goods, add 1 cup of either currants or raisins and mix briefly.
- Bake as normal, and enjoy!
Even More Quick Bread Recipes to Try!
No yeast required and oven-ready in minutes! These quick bread recipes are sure to delight anyone who tries them!
Whole Grain Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups whole grain einkorn flour freshly ground (310g)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose einkorn flour (260g)
- 2 tbsp butter cold
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 cups buttermilk see notes
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1 tbsp gluten free oats (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg* together. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl.
- Work the cold butter* into the flour mixture. You can use a fork, your hands, or a food processor like I do in my einkorn pie crust recipe. Just work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a fine sand.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl and mix together just until a dough forms. You don't want to over work the dough – you should still see some dry flour (this is called a shaggy dough). Let the dough sit for a few minutes to allow the einkorn to absorb the moisture a bit before shaping.
- Onto a parchment lined baking sheet, or into a seasoned cast iron skillet, turn the dough out and press into an even disc about 1- 1 1/2" tall. Using a sharp knife, score the dough in a cross pattern, this not only creates a traditional soda bread appearance, but also helps the center of the dough to bake properly.
- Sprinkle the top with gluten free oats, if desired. I add them because it gives a very nice finished look to the soda bread, but it doesn't change the taste or texture at all!
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes then drop the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 25 minutes, or until golden brown. The bread should sound hollow when thumped when it's fully baked.
Notes
Sweet Irish Soda Bread Variation
If you’d like to try a traditional Sweet Irish Soda Bread, follow these instructions!- To the dry goods bowl, add 3 tablespoons of sugar before cutting in the butter. Continue as normal.
- After adding the buttermilk to the dry goods, add 1 cup of either currants or raisins and mix briefly.
- Bake as normal, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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This looks delish. What does “freshly ground” whole wheat flour mean? <—- showing my ingnorance lol I use the all purpose einkhorn but can buy the whole wheat for this recipe. That doesnt seem "freshly ground" though.
Hi Kelley! Not ignorant at all! Whole grain is the einkorn you would grind from berries right before using it. However you can us all all-purpose if that’s what you have on hand. That’s what we do 99% of the time!
I hope that helps :-)