My simple, easy, step-by-step recipe for homemade sourdough Irish soda bread made with tangy sourdough discard (no instant yeast). The taste is slightly sweet, with a hint of butter and plump juicy raisins.
I’ve been baking Ina Garten’s homemade Irish soda bread since 2012. It’s the easiest, most reliable recipe I know. It’s not too dense or cloyingly sweet, with rich, buttery flavor throughout. Now, I make it with sourdough.
The recipe leans on ~1 cup of sourdough starter, which adds a mild, complex flavor and ensures a fresh, tender crumb that’s never dry. A classic alongside to your St. Patrick’s Day spread, my homemade Irish soda bread is just as good for breakfast. Explore more of my sourdough discard recipes here.
My Tested Tips For Success:
- You can use active starter or discard– it’s up to you.
- A chemical reaction takes place between the buttermilk and baking soda during baking; it makes the dough rise. For best results, I do not recommend non-dairy substitutions.
- For a sweeter, softer, cake-like version: use 400 g Tipo 00 flour (this is a fine-milled soft wheat flour from Italy that I use to make fresh homemade pasta) and the zest of 1/2 orange. Great for breakfast with coffee.
- Irish Soda bread is easier to cut into thick wedges, rather than slices- it’s too crumbly. Use a large serrated knife.
How To Make Sourdough Irish Soda Bread {Step-By-Step Recipe}
When testing this recipe, I’ve found that it’s best to use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. The dough is slightly sticky. Here are the steps!
Step 1: Mix The Dough
Start by mixing the dry ingredients together to the bowl of a stand mixer. Then add the butter a few cubes at a time (in the video, I dumped all the butter at once because I forgot. It sill worked!). Add the wet ingredients.
After mixing, the texture will be a little wet and sticky. This is normal. On a personal note, I used King Arthur All Purpose Flour which absorbs more liquid than other brands of all purpose flour. In your case, this means you might have to add more flour as needed to adjust the texture if it seems off.
Step 2: Shape The Dough
Once you’re done with the dough, shape it into a ball. It comes together very easily. Then cut a large X on top. I use a long serrated knife.
Step 3: Bake
Bake your Irish soda bread on the center rack. Bake @ 375 F/190 C for 45-55 minutes. Done! Let it cool down a bit before slicing.
Watch The Video
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Homemade Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 Loaf 1x
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: Irish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A simple, easy, step-by-step recipe for homemade sourdough Irish soda bread made with tangy sourdough discard. Slightly sweet, not too dense, with a hint of rich butter flavor butter. Recipe was adapted with changes from Ina Garten.
Notes & Tips
- Volume measurements are in US cups.
- If you do not have buttermilk, use 3/4 cup milk + 1 scant tablespoon fresh lemon juice.
- My sourdough discard is 100% hydration. This means it’s made up of equal parts flour and water by weight, and has a thick, batter-like texture. Your starter might be a different hydration % which is fine.
- For the non-sourdough version of this recipe, click here.
Ingredients
- 375 g (3 cups) all purpose flour (I use KAF)
- 50 g (4 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 5 g (1 tsp) baking soda
- 7 g (1 1/2 tsp) fine sea salt
- 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg
- 170 g (appx. 3/4 cup) buttermilk
- 200 g (appx. 1 cup) sourdough starter discard or active sourdough starter
- 150 g (1 cup) raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter, a few cubes at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Lightly beat the egg, buttermilk, and sourdough discard together in a separate bowl.
- Woking in batches, gradually pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture.
- Add the raisins. Mix to combine; the dough will be slightly wet and sticky.
- Scoop the dough onto a well floured surface. Knead it a few times into a round ball. With a serrated knife, cut an “x” into the top. Place onto your lined sheet pan.
- Bake on the center rack for 45-55 minutes. If necessary, cover the loaf with foil at the 40 minute mark to prevent over browning. The soda bread is finished when a toothpick (or spaghetti strand!) comes out clean when inserted. The bottom should sound hollow when you give it a knock.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- With a serrated knife, cut into wedges (much easier than slices), and serve warm or at room temperature with butter. Soda bread is best enjoyed on the same day it’s made.
Comments
Gillian says
My first time baking this sourdough irish soda bread. I did not add raisins as I didn’t have them at home, it still came out great! Thanks for the great recipe.
Sam says
Can I bake this in a Dutch oven instead of a baking tray?
Daty says
I made this with blueberries and lemon zest and it turned out wonderful! Thank you for the recipe!
Emilie Raffa says
This sounds delicious! 🥰
Jennifer V says
Made this yesterday for St. Patrick’s Day. I live at high altitude (5280’), so I was a bit concerned it wouldn’t work, but it did! No adjustments needed.
Emilie Raffa says
This is such great feedback, thank you Jennifer. I’m not an expert in high altitude baking – this is good to know!
Sarah says
This was SO good, thank you!
Cassandra Chandler says
I made this for my office and have received many compliments with multiple people saying it is the best irish soda bread they have EVER had. It’s a foolproof recipe and is very easy to throw together. I was able to bake 4 loaves before commuting into the office and they were still warm when served. 10/10!
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! I love this! 4 loaves before work? Amazing.🥰
Amanda says
Can make this and put it in the fridge and bake it the next day?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Amanda! Yes, you can make the dough and chill it overnight. Tack on a few extra minutes during baking if it needs it.
Gail says
Wonderful taste and easy to make. I added 2 tbs caraway seed, 1 cup raisins and a zest of orange. The crust was crunchy and crisp, the crumb soft and the flavor was very special. Thank you. ☺️
Emilie Raffa says
Fabulous. Love your additions, Gail! 🥰
Anna Marie says
Hello, this was delish! Can you make it in small biscuits? If so how long would you suggest cooking.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Anna Marie! This is a great question. While I haven’t done this myself, it’s definitely possible. The bake time depends on how big/small you make your biscuits. Off the top of my head, check at the 15 minute mark, adding more time as needed (I’m thinking around 25 total).
Siobhan says
I have mine baking in the oven as we speak :) Very excited to try! I split the dough in 2 and made one with raisins and one without. I was wondering could you bake them in Dutch ovens? Would you need to adjust the bake time/temp at all?
Mike says
I was really skeptical, but my wife had a bunch of discard left over. I have to say I was really impressed. Bread came out really nice, maybe I’ll add some caraway seeds next time. Thanks for the great recipe.
Michele says
It’s one of the reasons I always keep powdered buttermilk on hand. Just about any recipe calling for buttermilk or even regular milk can be swapped out with discard. If I use 100g discard I simply use 50 fewer g each of flour and milk plus add about 1 tbsp of powdered buttermilk.
Catherine says
Looking forward to trying this!
Can you make the dough the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight so it’s ready to bake the next morning?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Catherine! You can absolutely do this. It will taste great.
Tina says
I bake everything in my SBO, do you think this would be okay? I’d like to do it in bulk but I’m worried about baking straight on the stones, and would you add steam? Thanks!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Tina! This is a great question. You might need to make a few adjustments (you know your oven best), but it will work. Just do 1 soda bread a time and pivot from there, if needed. In my experience, soda bread does not need steam. The texture is similar to a scone.
Cassandra says
This recipe yields such a scrumptious loaf! The crumb is delicate, yet holds together well, and the flavor is so delectable. I made this to take to a party and it was a hit – even some of the kids liked it!
Full disclosure, I made two adjustments: I replaced the sugar with half maple syrup and half agave syrup, then added 2 Tbsp caraway seeds. Replacing the sugar with syrup worked just fine, so if anyone is avoiding cane sugar, I can confirm the substitution works.
Thank you for sharing the recipe! I will be adding it to my cookbook.
Emilie Raffa says
Cassandra! You’ve described this recipe perfectly, thank you. I’m glad you liked it. And your adjustments… never in a million years would I have thought swapping the sugar for syrups would work here. Well done!
Sadie says
I’ve made this soda bread a few times and it’s been consistently good. It’s the best sourdough soda bread I’ve found. The crumb is moist and tender, but not crumbly. It slices cleanly. The crust is delicious. Like all soda breads, it’s not sweet. It’s a bit bland unless paired with butter or another spread. However, it’s very adaptable to tweaks and add-ins. My favourite version so far has been with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, chopped toasted walnuts, orange zest, and molasses added to the dough. I also added 1 tsp baking powder. It may not have been an authentic soda bread, but it was excellent. Thank you for posting a recipe that’s foolproof and versatile!