Muffins & Breads

Easy Irish Soda Bread

Soft, tender, and made with simple ingredients! This traditional no-yeast bread with buttermilk is easy to make!

  • Prep10 minutes
  • Cook45 minutes
  • Total55 minutes
  • Yield1 Loaf servings

Published 5 Feb 2026

Easy Irish Soda Bread

Simple, Rustic, and Straight from the Oven!

I was in the kitchen while they were on the living room flooring putting it together. It occurred to me that if our son was 2 years old, I’d be over there taking a bazillion pictures of them! But he’s a teenager now and it’s just part of life that they were doing this.

Times sure have changed! The older he gets, the less pictures I take. I need to change that and start taking more pictures!

If you love a good loaf of homemade bread, then I think you’ll love Apple Date Bread , Homemade Artisan Bread , Homemade Garlic Bread , or Homemade Oatmeal Bread , too!

What You’ll Love About this Recipe

No Yeast – No waiting! Just mix, bake, and enjoy fresh bread fast.

Simple Ingredients – You probably have everything you need!

Rustic – Feels homemade in the best way!

Classic – Feels extra special without being fussy.

Great for Beginners!

Easy Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients You’ll Need

1 3/4 cups Buttermilk

1 Egg

4 1/4 cups Flour

3 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

5 tbsp Butter, Cold & Cubed

Easy Irish Soda Bread

How to Make the Best Irish Soda Bread

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set aside 10-12 inch cast iron skillet.

Whisk together 1 3/4 cups buttermilk and 1 egg. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 1/4 cups flour, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt.

Cut in 5 tbsp cold & cubed butter using a fork until you have pea-size crumbs. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture.

Gently fold the dough together until dough is too stiff to stir. Pour crumbly dough onto lightly floured countertop. Work the dough into a ball as best you can, then knead until the flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Transfer the dough to the skillet. Using a very sharp knife, score the dough with a ‘X’ shape about 1/2 inch deep.

Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45-55 minutes. Loosely tent aluminum foil over the bread if it’s starting to brown too quickly.

Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Easy Irish Soda Bread

What makes Irish Soda Bread ‘easy?’

It doesn’t use yeast, so there’s no kneading, rising, or waiting. The dough comes together quickly and bakes right away.

Can I add raisins or caraway seeds?

Absolutely! Raisins make it slightly sweet, while caraway seeds add a classic, savory flavor – both are popular variations.

How do I keep Soda Bread from being dry?

Don’t overmix the dough and avoid overbaking. Soda Bread is best when mixed gently and baked just until set.

What does Irish Soda Bread taste like?

It’s lightly savory with a tender crumb and crisp crust – perfect with butter, jam, soup, or stew.

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Notes

Recipe Credit: Sally's Baking Addiction

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