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Irish Soda Bread

This simple Irish Soda Bread recipe combines flour, leavening, cold butter, buttermilk, egg, orange zest, and currants. The wet dough is briefly kneaded, shaped, scored, and baked until golden brown and hollow-sounding. It's a quick, rustic loaf perfect served warm with butter.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine british
Servings 1 people
Calories 3433.9 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Sheet Pan
  • 1 Parchment Paper
  • 1 Electric Mixer or Large Bowl Fitted with paddle attachment for mixer
  • 1 Measuring Cups and Spoons
  • 1 Serrated Knife For scoring the loaf

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for currants
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk shaken
  • 1 extra-large egg lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 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.

Notes

Ensure your buttermilk and butter are very cold; this contributes to a tender crumb. Do not overwork the dough once the wet ingredients are added, as soda bread relies on minimal gluten development. A slightly wet dough is expected and desirable. The orange zest and currants add traditional flavor, but feel free to omit the zest or swap currants for other dried fruit like raisins or cranberries. The hollow sound when tapped is a reliable indicator of doneness.