Serve this traditional Irish soda bread with your St. Patrick’s Day feast of lamb stew or corned beef and cabbage. It’s wonderful as a breakfast bread, too. Toast it and serve it with eggs or make grilled cheese sandwiches. Make the bread plain or add currants. Dried blueberries or cranberries can also be added to this versatile bread.
Freshly baked Irish soda bread on a rack.
Sliced Irish soda bread on a cutting board.
PrintIrish Soda Bread
Make this classic Irish soda bread plain or add currants, dried blueberries, raisins, or dried cranberries.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Breads, St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Food
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup dried currants* (optional)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar blend for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 F.
- Grease and flour a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. It may also be baked in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.
- In a food processor or using a spoon and pastry blender, combine the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, soda, and cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk sour cream and egg together; stir in the dry mixture and blend just until moistened.
- Carefully fold in the currants or raisins.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes; turn out onto a rack.
- If desired, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar or cinnamon-sugar blend. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
*To soften the currants, raisins, or dried blueberries, simmer them in about 1 1/2 cups of water for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly and add to the dough.
