With St. Patrick’s day upon us and another year of staying at home, what could be more comforting than a loaf easy, no-knead Irish soda bread?
Back in the early days of the pandemic, everyone was ambitiously learning how to make complicated sourdoughs. We spent hours of proofing, kneading, and starter feeding.
This loaf is the exact opposite, and so beginner friendly. And you only need one bowl, so clean up is a breeze!
Between a biscuit and a bread, Irish soda bread is buttery, and tender. It has a dense, tight crumb perfect for soaking up soups and stews. It gets its leavening from baking soda and baking powder, and requires no proofing or extensive kneading. Therefore, this easy, no-knead Irish soda bread is the perfect quick loaf to make to accompany a weekday meal.
Some tips for success:
- If you are using a mixer, try not to overwork your mixture or it will become tough
- If you are combining everything by hand, I have found that using your hands or a flexible bowl scraper is the best way to combine everything as a spoon will be too difficult
- You do want the butter to be softened to room temperature so it combines easily with the flour — if the butter is too cold it will end up too flaky and will be harder to cut into slices.
- Do not cut your cross too deeply or your loaf will remain low and thin and will not expand upwards as much. Shallow cuts, approximately 1/2 an inch!
- You can shape this into a loaf instead of a ball if that is your preference! Just cut lengthwise down the loaf so it can expand
This loaf pairs perfectly with a Lamb and Guinness stew! Follow along for that recipe in our next post!
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Line a baking sheet with parchment, or lightly spray a cast iron pan with non-stick spray
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and butter. Mix with paddle attachment until crumbly.
- Add buttermilk and egg and mix until dough forms a mass.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead once or twice to shape the dough into a ball.
- Place your dough round onto your baking sheet or cast iron pan and cut a shallow cross on top.
- Brush with melted butter and bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown.
- Cool for at least half an hour before cutting to maintain the structure of the loaf.
Video
Notes
