The leprechauns sneak up on me every year. After I devour my stash of dark chocolate fudge and truffles, I completely forget that another holiday falls between Valentine’s Day and Easter! Maybe if St. Patrick’s Day involved candy and cookies instead of corned beef and cabbage, I’d remember the date a little better…
But this year, a high school friend reminded me an entire week ahead of time! She posted pictures of her homemade Irish soda bread on Facebook, which I drooled over for a good 10 minutes before searching for a recipe.
I found an easy one, and just 45 minutes later, I pulled my little loaf out of the oven. After carving out a thick wedge for myself, I sliced a thinner piece for any visiting leprechauns… I didn’t want them to think I forgot about them again this year!
modified from CL’s recipe
This bread is so easy to make and takes barely any time to prepare! Just mix up the dough and pop it in the oven before starting to cook dinner, and it’ll be ready by the time you serve your meal.
- Preheat the oven to 450°, and lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the buttermilk, stirring just until incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead 4-5 times. Shape into a 8”-round loaf, and place onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Score the loaf by cutting a ¼”-deep X into the top. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes before turning down the temperature to 400° and baking for another 15 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. (Do not open the oven when turning down the temperature!!) Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Note: I didn’t have any buttermilk on hand, so I substituted with 1 c vanilla soy milk and 1 tbsp lemon juice. It turned out sweeter than the original recipe, which I liked even better!
Can I change the AP flour into 1 more cup of whole wheat flour?
I think that should work! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipe Christelle!
Do you think I could substitute the buttermilk for regular milk?
Yes! I also included what to do if you don’t have buttermilk in the Notes section underneath the recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipe Emily!
This was AWESOME soda bread! I didn’t have much milk on hand but plenty of Greek yogurt. So I thinned a good dollop with some milk, and it added the perfect buttermilk-like tang. Delicious ? Thank you for another good one!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this bread Celina! So smart to thin out Greek yogurt with milk — you’ve definitely a natural in the kitchen! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next!
Can I use rice flour for this recipe?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Tricia! I typically don’t recommend using a single type of gluten-free flour. This is because every gluten-free flour has its own taste and texture (some are superfine, some are gritty, etc), so I almost always recommend combining multiple types in order to get as close as possible to the same taste and texture as wheat-based flour. Also, since gluten is the protein that allows baked goods to hold their shape after baking (and gluten-free flours lack that!), I also recommend adding in xanthan gum; it imitates gluten’s structural properties. For the best results, I’d recommend finding a store-bought gluten-free flour blend (this one is one of my favorites!) or using the following blend: 1 cup millet flour, ½ cup rice flour, ½ cup tapioca flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try this Irish soda bread!