Simple, rustic, and tasty, traditional Irish soda bread has a rich history and is easy to make. Made without yeast, soda bread is a type of quick bread that can be made in less than an hour from start to finish. This makes it an ideal choice for a daily table bread, and an inexpensive choice with only 4 base ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon table salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda.
Make a small well in the flour and pour in the 2 cups of buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk, combine the ingredients until a shaggy dough forms. Just mix until you no longer see pockets of dry flour, you don’t want to overmix the dough, or the bread will come out dense.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and push the dough together into a boule shape. It should be roughly an 8-9” domed, round ball. Transfer to a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet (I use a silicone bread mat here) and using a sharp knife or bread lame, cut a deep X across the bread.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the bread has a deep golden-brown crust and is cooked through. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
1) Flour – As mentioned above, if you want a more traditional brown or wheaten soda bread, you can find Irish soft wheat flour sold at some stores or online such as from King Arthur.2) Why the X? – Irish soda bread almost always has the famous cross slashed into the bread. In a deeply Catholic country, the cross has a symbolic meaning, as well as a superstitious background as it was said to “let the devil out of the bread.” Scientifically, however, the deep slash across the bread helps the center cook more evenly and vents some of the steam.