No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread
This traditional recipe for Irish Soda Bread is an easy no yeast bread recipe that you can make with just a handful of kitchen staples and pantry essentials.
Suitable for vegetarian diets. Post includes Weight Watchers Points.
It seems like everyone I know is making homemade bread these days. And for good reason: is there anything better than that smell of freshly baked bread?! I’ve always loved making bread, but I particularly love easy recipes for no yeast bread. Because if it’s less work, you can count me in!
This traditional recipe for Irish Soda Bread is fail-proof and utterly delicious. Folks, this bread is the perfect combination of a crunchy crusty exterior and an airy and soft interior loaded with sweet plump raisins. So. Much. Yum.
Related link : Easy Italian Pizza Dough Recipe.
Yeap, this awesome quick bake bread recipe is simple to make and soooo tasty. And you can make this recipe with just a handful of pantry staples. Yeap. Since it doesn’t require any yeast, there’s no need to make a trip to the store.
What Is Irish Soda Bread?
It is a hearty quick bread made using buttermilk and baking soda, aka an easy no yeast bread recipe.
It is sweet on the inside with a light texture. The outside is crusty and hearty, usually rustic in shape. Often, raisins or currants and also added to traditional Irish Soda Bread.
How Does Irish Soda Bread Rise?
Irish Soda Bread doesn’t use yeast. Instead, buttermilk and baking soda are combined to create a reaction that forms small air bubbles as it bakes in the oven, just like a loaf of yeast bread.
Why You’ll Love It
- It’s Fast! No need to let the dough rise. Simply combine the ingredients, knead it a few times, and bake.
- Simple to make. All you need is a handful of kitchen staples and pantry essentials. No yeast needed!
- Super versatile. This is a slightly sweet yet rustic bread that is suitable for serving at breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a snack.
Tools Needed
- Handy mixing bowls.
- Useful measuring cup.
- Measuring spoons and teaspoons.
- Hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Sheet pan.
- Knife.
No Yeast Bread Ingredients
- all purpose flour
- sugar
- baking soda
- salt
- cold unsalted butter, diced into ½ inch pieces
- egg
- buttermilk
- raisins <= adds awesome juiciness!
How To Make Irish Soda Bread
- Preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the butter slowly until combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg and buttermilk together. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the bowl with the flour.
- Toss the raisins with 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the dough.
- On a floured surface, knead your dough several times to form it into a loaf. The dough will be wet, and the loaf may have imperfections but this is OK.
- Place the dough onto the sheet pan covered in parchment paper and cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf using a bread knife (or any serrated knife). Bake for 45 – 55 minutes in the preheated oven. To test for doneness, a cake tester should come out clean and the loaf should have a hollow sound when tapped.
- Let cool on a wire rack before serving.
No Yeast Bread Recipe Tips
- Don’t Wait to Put Your Bread in The Oven. Because Irish Soda bread is a quick-bake bread, its ingredients begin acting together as soon as they are mixed. This means that you should not pause between steps of the recipe or leave your bread to rise before it goes in the oven. Once you make your dough, it should be gently kneaded and then go directly into the oven.
- Don’t Over-Knead Your Bread. Gently knead your bread before adding it to the oven, being careful not to over-knead it. The ingredients in the bread (buttermilk and baking soda) react to create small bubbles that will help your bread rise. If you over-knead your bread it may not rise properly in the oven. Knead it just a couple of times, enough to form it into a round loaf.
- Use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Feel free to use either a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer.
Substitutions
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand here’s a simple way to make your own. Head on over to how to make buttermilk post for the recipe and plenty of tips.
- Currants: Swap out raisins for currants to create another popular version of this bread.
- Orange zest: Add 1 teaspoon grated orange zest to your dough for some sweet citrus flavor.
How Do You Know When This Bread is Done?
This recipe takes 45 – 55 minutes in the oven, and can be tested for doneness with a cake tester (should come out clean) or by tapping on the crust (should sound hollow). The outside of the loaf will be very golden brown and crusty and the inside should be cooked through.
Serving Suggestions
Irish soda bread with raisins is delicious served sliced and topped with butter or jam. It’s also the perfect pairing for a soup or stew. Try it with one of these dishes:
More Pantry Recipes
Weight Watchers Points
There are 9 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
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Get The Irish Soda Bread Recipe
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No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for coating the raisins
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter diced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 egg
- 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the butter slowly until combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg and buttermilk together. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the bowl with the flour.
- Toss the raisins with 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the dough.
- On a floured surface, knead your dough several times to form it into a loaf. The dough will be wet, and the loaf may have imperfections but this is OK.
- Place the dough onto the sheet pan covered in parchment paper and cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf using a bread knife (or any serrated knife). Bake for 45 – 55 minutes in the preheated oven. To test for doneness, a cake tester should come out clean and the loaf should have a hollow sound when tapped.
- Let cool on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- Don’t Wait to Put Your Bread in The Oven. Because Irish Soda bread is a quick-bake bread, its ingredients begin acting together as soon as they are mixed. This means that you should not pause between steps of the recipe or leave your bread to rise before it goes in the oven. Once you make your dough, it should be gently kneaded and then go directly into the oven.
- Don’t Over-Knead Your Bread. Gently knead your bread before adding it to the oven, being careful not to over-knead it. The ingredients in the bread (buttermilk and baking soda) react to create small bubbles that will help your bread rise. If you over-knead your bread it may not rise properly in the oven. Knead it just a couple of times, enough to form it into a round loaf.
- Use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Feel free to use either a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer.
I made this today… I think I over knead the dough and it’s a little bit dense after baking it. Is it really so sticky? I add few tbsp of flour and still sticky and maybe that’s the other reason why it’s so dense. But it’s great! My family likes it surely will make one soon. Thank you
This bread looks proper yummy! It’s good to know you can make it even if you don’t have yeast at home.
What a great idea, this bread looks so delicious! You really cant beat fresh, still warm home made bread can you! x
I will definitely be giving this a go during lockdown! Looks yummy and so easy to make with bits already in the pantry
This is great thank you, been struggling to get yeast and flour for weeks now, although finally managed to get some flour
Some excellent recipes here, I’m Dairy and Yeast intolerant so I look out for these type of recipes as I do enjoy many of the products that contain them, but feel bad straight afterwards, an excellent article.
This looks and sounds so. wonderful! I love all kinds of different breads – I just really looove bread!
great recipe for those not wanting to use yeast! I made keto bread recently and it’s amazing all the different bread recipes out on the web!
This is a great recipe for those who do not have any yeast in their store cupboard. Loving the additions of raisins in it as well. This looks really soft in the inside.