No Corned Beef Dinner would be truly complete without delicious Irish Soda Bread to accompany it. I am absolutely required to bring a still-warm loaf (or two) of this soda bread to my mom’s each year for St. Patrick’s Day dinner. It is pillowy soft inside with a gorgeous crusty exterior. This bread is also incredibly easy to make!
Just a few ingredients, no fancy mixer needed and almost no kneading either. The key ingredient is the buttermilk. Its acidity helps activate the baking soda, releasing the carbon dioxide bubbles that make the bread rise. When you mix all the ingredients together for this bread, you aren’t looking for the traditional smooth ball of most breads. Nope, just a few strokes with your hands inside the bowl to combine everything, and then into a greased pan. The dough will still be quite sticky and not pretty at all. That’s ok. The soda and buttermilk are like a crazy love at first sight passionate romance. The chemical reaction starts as soon as the wet ingredients hit the dry, and you want to get the bread in the oven while the reaction is still running on overdrive!
I cook mine in a 9-inch cake pan that’s been well-greased with butter. Just dump it in there and pat with a little flour for that fancy fresh made bakery look. Can you tell that half my oven is hotter than the other half?
Mmmmmm. Warm and crusty, filled with doughy sweetness and a hint of raisins.
Absolute perfection. Enjoy! If you are looking for the perfect St. Patrick’s Day dinner to have with your bread, check out my Best Corned Beef Dinner Ever recipe! And don’t forget to try my Bailey’s Bread Pudding for dessert.
Print Recipe for Easy Irish Soda Bread
Easy Irish Soda Bread
adapted from allrecipes.com
1/2 cup white sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cups raisins
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup sour cream
Directions
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch round cast iron skillet or a 9 inch round baking or cake pan.
*In a mixing bowl, combine flour (reserving 1 tablespoon), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, blend eggs, buttermilk and sour cream. Stir the liquid mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Knead dough in bowl about 10 to 12 strokes. Dough will be sticky. Place the dough in the prepared skillet or pan and pat down. Cut a 4×3/4 inch deep slit in the top of the bread. Dust with reserved flour
*Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 65 to 75 minutes. Let cool and turn bread onto a wire rack.
Bakerlady 