Homemade Irish soda bread in 25 minutes or less – from start to finish including prep and cooking time!
Honestly – you can whip this bread up in one bowl, with one spatula, and have it cooked and ready to serve inside 25 minutes. And it gets even better – because there’s NO sugar (outside of the natural sugar in the raisins), and it’s easily made dairy-free and vegan.
Plus it’s incredibly versatile. You can make it with a mix of white and whole-wheat flour or just use white. You can skip the cinnamon and raisins and make it with a bit of rosemary and some pitted black olives. Or just make it plain and serve it warm, slathered in butter. Any which way – it’s delicious. And it’s perfect to serve for a lunch or dinner alongside a hearty soup. Try it with sweet potato or curried butternut squash soup. Or perhaps a beef and Guinness stew. It’s perfect with tea in the middle of the afternoon. And for breakfast with cream cheese and jam, or peanut butter, or some old cheddar and a sliced apple.
This is my concession to St. Patrick’s Day, because who doesn’t love a little bit of anything Irish in their life? As for me, I can easily skip the green beer and the Guinness, and all the St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans – but I do love a good Irish stew and a bit of homemade bread. And I could be tempted to have an Irish coffee too or a nip of Baileys Irish Cream.
Irish Soda Bread
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or just use all-purpose)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- I tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 1 cup buttermilk (I used rice milk and lemon juice to sour)
Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Grease a baking sheet.
Combine dry ingredients and raisins. Add buttermilk or soured milk. Soured rice, almond, or soy milk can all be substituted successfully. Mix together gently. The mixture will seem very wet at first. If necessary add another tablespoon of flour.
Turn onto a lightly floured board and pat into a round (or two small rounds). Slash the top with an X – in theory this is to allow steam to escape.
Bake for about 15-17 minutes or if making two mini loaves – reduce baking time to about 13 -15 minutes. Leave the bread in a moment or two longer if you like a darker, crustier finish. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wired rack.
♥ Jam Tart ♥ 