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Irish soda bread with raisins on dark brown wooden cutting board with orange napkin in background
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5 from 10 votes

Irish Soda Bread Recipe (Quick Bread with Raisins)

This is a very easy bread to make for St. Patrick's Day or any time of year really.  Enjoy it with a potato soup or a delicious Irish stew.  Or just slather on some grass-fed Irish butter, warm it up and enjoy it as a quick breakfast bread on the go. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American, Irish
Keyword: bread, Irish, Kid Friendly, raisins, st. patrick's day
Servings: 12
Calories: 210kcal
Author: Katia

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 Tbsp for raisins
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt or sea salt
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp orange zest optional, but a nice touch
  • 1 cup raisins

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375F.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place paddle attachment on stand mixer.
  • Add flour, sugar, baking soda and salt to bowl of a stand mixer and mix with attachment.
  •  Add cold cubed butter to dry ingredients and mix about 2 minutes, or until butter is well distributed, less than pea sized in the flour.
  • Add buttermilk to a small bowl or measuring cup with egg and orange zest and use a fork to whisk it well.
  • Add buttermilk mixture to your mixer and run on low speed till all wet, do not over-mix.
  • Sprinkle a little less than a Tablespoon of flour on your raisins and stir them to fully coat them.
  • Fold the raisins into the dough. (The dough will be very sticky and wet at this point)
  • Transfer the sticky dough onto a generously floured counter and just gently roll it into a ball, swiping some flour from the side onto it, just until it stops sticking to your hands.   Sprinkle just a touch of flour if it's still sticky and then form it into a round ball and flatten slightly.
  • Place the dough on the parchment paper lined sheet pan and cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife.
  • Bake for 40 minutes, or until internal temperature in the center is 200 deg. F. The loaf sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom of it.
  • Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes and then you may enjoy it or set aside to fully cool.
  • Serve warm, cut into slices with butter or at room temperature.

Video

Notes

Keep the bread wrapped in plastic wrap or a bread bag and enjoy up to 5 days at room temperature. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 423mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 157IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg