A Simple Irish Soda Bread for St Patrick's Day

At this time of year, in the run up to St Patrick’s Day, you may well see a host of different recipes for Soda Bread popping up in magazines and all over the internet. Many of these are good wholesome and simple recipes that have been handed down for a few generations. Some of them, however, have no resemblance to the traditional and basic Soda Breads that we, here in Ireland, have grown up with.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread ready for Breakfast!

So here is my simple Soda Bread recipe. It uses baking powder instead of baking soda. This bread is quick and easy to make and it tastes great served with butter, home-made Rhubarb & Ginger Jam and a big mug of hot tea!


My Ingredients:
750g household (plain) flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
100g real butter
1 fresh egg
300ml cold water + 100ml milk (mixed together)
Preheat the oven to 175°C, 345°F, Gas mark 4.

Cross the top of the bread to let the heat get in to the centre

 My Method:

1.  Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together quickly with a whisk, or slowly with a sieve if you prefer.  Rub the butter finely into the flour.
2. Beat the egg, milk and water together in a jug and add 80% of this to the dry ingredients. Mix this in with your hand and bring it quickly together into a soft dough. Add the rest of the liquid as you need it. Do not over knead the dough or you will make the bread 'heavy'.
3.  Turn it out on your worktop and knead it gently - just enough to smooth the bottom of the dough – 6 or 7 turns should do it.
4.  Place it on a floured baking tray and flatten the bread to about 3cm (1”). Cut a cross in the top of the dough, cutting no more than ½ way through the bread. Gently push the knife to both sides as you cut to widen the gap.
5. Pop it into the oven at 160°C, on the middle shelf, for 45 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time check for colour, turning the bread around if necessary depending on your oven type.
6.  Check the bread, by inserting a skewer into the thickest part, to make sure it’s cooked and if not give it another 5 minutes in the oven. The skewer will come out clean when cooked. Slide the bread on to a wire rack and let it cool before eating.

Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) needs an acidic addition (traditionally buttermilk) to make it rise and would have been the original method of raising the bread. Baking Powder is made with baking soda but already has Cream of Tartar added to it, as it’s acidic agent. You can use buttermilk, for taste purposes, if you wish.


Cutting the cross in the top of the bread had nothing really to do with aesthetics!  It was done to let the heat into the centre of the bread so that it would bake evenly. It was also a form of portion control and facilitated breaking the bread into even pieces when you were out working in the fields or the bog! Make it for your family & friends and do enjoy!


Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!
zack