A delicious loaf of Irish soda bread is a requirement at any St. Patricks Day celebration! Often people will serve it at dinner, but I like to put it out before dinner alongside some room temperature, European style butter. This Ina Garten recipe uses currants, not raisins, and beats out any soda bread you could ever buy at a store.
This recipe is a fantastic recipe for beginner bread bakers (which is me!) It does not require any kneading, and because it doesn’t call for yeast, there is no need to wait for it to rise. The results are so much better than store or bakery bought.
The hardest part of this recipe is that the dough is sticky! So it can be a little tricky to work with if you are unprepared, but if you work fast, you shouldn’t run into any problems. Just don’t let it sit on the board as you shape it for any longer than you need to.
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 4 tbs cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 1 3/4 cup cold buttermilk, shaken
- 1 XL egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp grated orange zest optional
- 1 cup dried currants
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.
- With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.
- Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.
- Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with room temperature butter.
