I’m not of Irish descent, but like many Americans, I enjoy observing St. Patrick’s Day. We always have my homemade Irish soda bread to accompany my oven-roasted or Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage dinner meal! Last year I opted for a quicker version in the Instant Pot, shown below, and it didn’t disappoint!

I didn’t experience soda bread when growing up. In fact, my college roommate from a very Irish family introduced it to me. It wasn’t for many years later that I made it myself, following my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook, and eventually tweaking the recipe so much, I developed my own that I now share with you.

My Baking and Sharing Tradition

Over the years, baking Irish soda bread became a special foodie splurge while honoring St. Patrick’s Day. After living in London (see London Finds Me in My Dreams post), I became enamored with scones, and this bread has a similar consistency and flavor. Especially with a smear of Kerrygold Irish butter.

I typically make several batches to give loads of loaves away and put a few in the freezer. For me, a smaller batch is about 10 loaves when compared to about 20 I made one year. I might’ve gotten a bit carried away! 🙂

I’ve found that an assembly line approach works best. First by batching the dough into balls, then shaping them. The ‘X’ is added as the final step before placing the loaves on the sheet pans. I prefer baking the loaves all at once to avoid any overbaking mishaps!

I use my KitchenAid mixer which makes the process move along quickly and efficiently. This recipe yields more soda bread than most, making one extra-large or two medium loaves. I admit it’s a bit messy, but totally worth it one day a year. This is especially true when I have one of my favorite little people cooking by my side!

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Irish Soda Bread

This recipe is just the right proportion to make in a KitchenAid mixer without worrying about overflow. This method works well if you plan on making several batches. It makes two medium-sized loaves.

Serve sliced at room temperature or toast it for breakfast. It's always best with a little butter.

Servings 16 slices

Ingredients

• 5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 sticks cold butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk (use reduced fat if available)
• 1 cup raisins (mix of golden and black)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° F (325° F convection).
• Add dry ingredients into Kitchenaid mixer bowl or large bowl if mixing by hand. Mix ingredients.
  
• Add in butter. Mixer: Use the paddle attachment and mix on slow speed. By hand: Use a pastry blender to incorporate. Mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
• Add in raisins and give a quick mix.
  
• Add in buttermilk. Mixer: Start out with 1 cup; then slowly add in the rest until the mixture begins to form a soft dough. Place dough on floured surface. Divide dough into two balls.

  By hand: Pour the buttermilk and mix until just moistened. Mixing with your hands works best. If the dough doesn’t start to stick together, add in a little more buttermilk. Be careful to not use too much liquid. Place dough on floured surface and knead about 10 to 12 times. Divide into two balls.
  
• If making multiple batches, put the dough balls to the side while you continue making more dough. It's more efficient to cook at the loaves at the same time.
  
• Shape loaves: Form into round loaves about 2 ½ inches thick. Place on a lightly greased sheet pan. Cut an "X" on top of dough, about 1/2-inch deep.
  
• Bake about 50 minutes to an hour (depends on your oven). Reposition sheet pan as needed if the breads cook unevenly. Cover the breads loosely with foil if they start getting too brown. Remember to check the bread inside the "X" to make sure it’s not raw. You don’t want the bread to be undercooked.
• Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap in foil.
  
• These breads freeze very well. Make sure they’re tightly double wrapped with foil. When defrosting, let them thaw at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

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