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The Best Irish Soda Bread is so easy to make and comes out with a crisp buttery crust and soft center. It has orange zest and raisins to add an amazing flavor. This will become a new favorite bread!

Irish Soda Bread loaf.

Hi, it’s Jenn, from Eat Cake For Dinner. Have you ever had Irish Soda Bread? I first tried it a few years ago and have been a fan ever since. It’s super easy to make and has great flavor. You start off by combining all the dry ingredients and cutting in a few Tablespoons of butter and then stir in the buttermilk until a dough forms. Then, you dump it out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a round loaf, bake it in a cast iron skillet, brush with melted butter and that’s it. See super easy.

sliced Irish Soda Bread

It totally reminds me of biscuits in loaf form and even though it has way less butter than biscuits, it has a great buttery flavor. The crust is crisp and the center is very soft. For this version, I also added some raisins and orange zest. Both the raisins and orange zest give it a burst of sweet flavor. You can absolutely leave both out though and still have an amazing bread. Serve it plain, with butter or smothered in jam. Give it a try, I think you’ll love it.

Irish Soda Bread in a skillet.

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Irish Soda Bread

5 from 1 vote
By: Jenn H
Buttery soda bread that is full of sweet raisins and orange zest. It's soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 Slices

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Cut 2 Tablespoons of cold butter into chunks and add to the flour mixture. Using your clean hands, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it is completely incorporated. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk that has been mixed with the orange zest. Use a fork to work the ingredients together. Mix in the raisins. Add up to another 1/4 cup of buttermilk, adding 1 Tablespoon at a time, until a dough forms.
  • Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat together to form a 6'' round. Place dough into an 8'' inch (or large) cast-iron skillet. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet you can use a baking sheet, but the outside won't get as crispy. Use a sharp knife and cut an "x" into the top of the loaf, about 5-inches long and 3/4-inch deep. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with 1 Tablespoon of melted butter. Cool for a few minutes, slice and serve. Best if eaten on the day it is made.

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcalCarbohydrates: 110gProtein: 15gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 674mgPotassium: 530mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 85IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Bread
Cuisine: Irish
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

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About Jenn H

Hi, I’m Jenn and I blog over at Eat Cake For Dinner. I love being in the kitchen and spending my spare time cooking, baking and blogging. I like all types of food, but cake and frosting are my favorites. If you ask me, the more frosting the better!

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Recipe Rating




5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I make soda bread every year for St. Patrick’s day, and this is the best recipe I’ve ever made! I didn’t have a cast iron pan, so baked the loaf on a 13” pizza pan which created a lovely crunchy crust over the entire top. I will not be waiting an entire year to make this again ❤️

  2. No cake four?

    1 cup AP flour – 2 Tablespoons AP flour + 2 Tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot = 1 cup cake flour
    Mix very well

  3. I’m looking for a recipe for salt rising bread. Such a favorite memory from my childhood—waking up to the wonderful smell of salt rising bread in the toaster. In times past, my grandma used to get it from the door-to-door bread man.