Rustic Irish Soda Bread with Cranberries and Currants

One of my all time favorite bread recipes, Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that doesn't require yeast. Baking soda and baking powder are the leavening agents for this dense yet tender bread flecked with dried cranberries and currants.

My husband is Irish. He is one of those fair-skinned Irishmen that call his sunburn "an Irish tan." He comes from a large Catholic family that loves its Irish heritage.

So when March rolls around each year, he would like to celebrate St. Patrick's Day all month long. A loaf or 2 of Irish Soda Bread are required eating during the month long Irish celebration.

why you'll love this Irish soda bread recipe

An Irish feast of corned beef and cabbage, Irish Lamb Stew with Guinness, or Reuben casserole graces our dinner table at least a couple times during March. All that is need is a loaf of my Irish Soda Bread to complete the meal.

• The quick bread is dense yet soft with a sturdy crust.
• The combination of dried cranberries and currants adds a tart sweetness to the bread.
• It's a super easy to make recipe. I love that it uses baking soda instead of yeast to help the bread rise. No need to wait a couple hours for the bread to rise with this recipe.

ingredients for Irish soda bread

Scroll down to the complete recipe for the exact quantities of the ingredients.

• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• kosher salt
• currants
• dried cranberries
• buttermilk

recipe substitutions

• Both baking powder and baking soda are used in the recipe. The combo helps the bread rise without adding a salty bitter flavor from too much baking soda.
• Currants are a sweet and intense cousin to raisins. Substitute all raisins if you'd like.
• Dried cranberries add a sweet tanginess to the bread which I love. You can leave them out and double up on the currants or raisins.
• The buttermilk ensures that the bread will be tender. And use any extra buttermilk to make salad dressings, smoothies or fluffy pancakes. If you do not have buttermilk, make an easy substitute. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk. Let stand 5 minutes before adding it to the dry ingredients

recipe details

1. Start off by combining the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, currants and dried cranberries.
2. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough is coarse and crumbly. I like to mix this dough by hand. You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
3. Next lightly flour the counter and turn out the dough. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes or until a rough ball forms. Cut the dough in half and form into 2 round loaves. Cut a large X in to top of each loaf to help the center of the bread bake thoroughly.
4. Bake the soda bread on a parchment lined baking sheet until golden brown. Give the loaf a thump on the bottom. There will be a hollow sound when the bread is perfectly baked.

I love the bread straight from the oven and generously slathered with butter. Any leftover slices are divine when toasted and served with jam for breakfast the next morning.

expert tips

• Irish Soda Bread is an ideal recipe for the novice baker. With only a few ingredients and a quick prep time, the recipe is foolproof.
• To insure baking success, cut the traditional cross or "X" in the top of the loaves before baking. The belief is that the X wards off any evil spirits in the upcoming year.
• I struggle knowing when bread ready. Using a digital thermometer takes the guess work out of knowing when it is time to pull it out of the oven. The internal temperature of the loaf is 195 degrees F when it is baked to perfection.

just one more thing

If you make this Irish soda bread recipe, I'd love hearing from you. Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a star rating. Also check out my YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories and videos, cooking tips, and recipes.

Recipe

Rustic Irish Soda Bread

One of my favorite bread recipes, rustic Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that does not require yeast. Baking soda and baking powder are the leavening agents for this dense yet tender bread flecked with dried cranberries and currants.

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 2 loaves

Calories: 111kcal

Author: Amy Casey

Ingredients 

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• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup each currants and dried cranberries soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
• 2 ¼ cups low fat buttermilk

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, currants and cranberries.
• Add the buttermilk and stir until the flour mixture and buttermilk resemble a coarse crumbly dough.
• Lightly dust hands with flour and turn dough out on to a work surface. Gently knead until a rough ball forms; about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half and form into 2 round loaves.
• Transfer the loaves to the prepared pan. Cut a cross about ½ inch deep in the top of each loaf.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown. The loaves are done when there is a hollow sound when they are tapped on the bottom and the bread has an internal temperature of 195 degrees.

Video

Notes

If you do not have buttermilk, make an easy substitute. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk. Let stand 5 minutes before adding it to the dry ingredients.

Substitute all currants or all dried cranberries in the recipe. Raisins also make a good substitution for the dried fruits.

The loaves are done when there is a hollow sound when they are tapped on the bottom and the bread has an internal temperature of 195 degrees.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.7g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 265mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 7.8g

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