Share
Moist and Tender Irish Soda Bread
Stacey Hawkins
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Author :
Stacey Hawkins
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Ready for an easy Irish soda bread recipe that doesn't leave you needing a gallon of Guinness to wash it down? (Although you certainly could... but you don't NEED to, lol!) You've got to give this recipe a try. The result is a dense, yet soft loaf with the most incredibly crusty outside. It's been passed down for generations & now I'm sharing it with you!
Ingredients
-
1 ¾ C (420ml) buttermilk
-
1 large egg
-
4 ¼ C (531g) all purpose flour (plus additional for countertop)
-
3 T sugar
-
1 tsp baking soda
-
2 tsp salt
-
5 T butter- cold and cubed
-
1 C raisins (if desired)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare an 8” cake pan, Dutch oven or skillet by spraying with cooking spray or slathering with butter.
Whisk buttermilk and egg together. Set aside. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
Sprinkle the cubed butter over the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers, cut the butter into pea-sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins (if using).
Pour in the egg mixture and gently fold the dough together until it is too stiff to stir. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface (pour all the crumbs and bits out of the bowl.)
Using lightly floured hands, work the dough together into a ball and then knead for about 30 seconds, or until all the flour is incorporated. Try not to do too much kneading as this “toughens” the dough.
Transfer the dough into your prepared pan. Using a very sharp knife tip, cut the dough with a big X about ½” deep.
Bake for 45-55 minutes- until the bread is golden brown and the center appears cooked through. If you can’t tell, it will be done when an instant read thermometer reads 195 degrees in the center of th loaf. If you notice the bread starts to brown quickly, make a tent of aluminum foil to go over the top loosely.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a rack- but be careful, the bread is HOT!
Store extra bread at room temp for 2 days. Alternately, you can slice it and freeze it for later. Enjoy!
