This classic Easy Irish Soda Bread in a Loaf Pan is wonderfully dense and incredibly moist, with a rich flavor thanks to the use of buttermilk, extra butter, an egg, and a touch of sugar.
Baked in a classic loaf pan and topped with crunchy turbinado sugar, it’s a perfect balance of texture and taste and perfect alongside a Classic St. Paddy's Day Dinner.
I have made this Irish Soda Bread every year for the last almost twenty years. It is a no fuss recipe, the bread is not dry, and it skips the raisins, currents, and carraway seeds. Though you can easily add them if you prefer.
It is spectacular on its own, especially warm out of the oven, but it’s also great with a slab of salted butter, next to some corned beef and potatoes. My family is Irish on both sides, and I very much enjoy making a big feast every year on St. Patrick’s Day including this homemade bread.
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🍀 Quick Bread
Irish Soda Bread is a style of bread known as quick bread. It does not use any yeast or kneading like a typical yeast bread but rather relies on baking powder and baking soda combined with buttermilk for leavening. In Ireland, Irish Soda Bread originally relied on bicarbonate of soda for leavening, but in Britain, baking powder was used.
Originally traditional Irish soda bread recipes were made with a few simple ingredients: flour, salt, buttermilk or sour milk, and bicarbonate of soda. It did not include, raisins, currants, or caraway seeds (I prefer to leave them out too). Irish Brown bread uses the same ingredients except it combines whole wheat flour and white flour.
A few other quick breads that rely on baking soda or baking powder for leavening include my very favorite Banana Bread, this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, or this really special treat: Lemon Raspberry Loaf Cake.
🍞 Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Through trial and error over the years, I have found that using more baking powder than baking soda results in a better leavened and better tasting bread. Baking soda is strong, and using too much leaves a metallic soapy aftertaste.
Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, as a leavening agent starts to release carbon dioxide when it comes in contact with an acid and a liquid, in this case, buttermilk. To get the best rise from the bread it is important to move quickly to get the bread into the oven.
🌟 Why You’ll Love This Irish Soda Bread
Simple: Just a few easy steps and you’ll have the bread in the oven. No cold butter, no kneading, nothing fancy.
Buttery and Moist: The recipe calls for added butter and an egg for a more savory and moist bread.
Buttermilk: The flavor of the buttermilk in this bread is outstanding, one bite will make you go, “mmmm…”. Its not that dissimilar to the flavor of good Buttermilk Biscuits.
🛒 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make this Easy Irish Soda Bread in a Loaf Pan.
- Flour: Use all purpose unbleached flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: For leavening as discussed in detail above.
- Sugar: Adds a subtle hint of sweetness, but not too much.
- Salt: To balance and bring out flavor.
- Butter: Softened, not melted and not cold. It’s easy to incorporate the softened butter into the dough. A separate tablespoon of butter is melted to brush the top of the loaf before baking.
- Egg: Adds fat and flavor.
- Buttermilk: Adds the absolute best flavor. In some recipes you can substitute buttermilk for whole milk mixed with white vinegar or a tablespoon of lemon juice, however, that does not work well with this recipe (I’ve tried it).
- Turbinado Sugar: Crunchy sugar for sprinkling on top. You can find this in most grocery stores in the baking section, sometimes called sugar in the raw. You can also use coarse sanding sugar, or regular granulated sugar in a pinch. Sometimes I’ll dye some granulated sugar green and sprinkle it on top for a fun touch on St. Patrick’s Day.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Easy Irish Soda Bread in a Loaf Pan
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for making this Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to get the loaf in the oven quickly; otherwise, it will not rise properly.
Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch standard loaf pan with parchment paper.
Tip: To get the parchment paper to sit in the loaf tin, lightly butter the bottom and long sides of the pan. The parchment paper will then stick to the butter.
This bread can also be shaped into a round loaf and baked directly on a baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet if preferred.
Step 1. Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar.
Step 2. Wet Ingredients: In another large bowl whisk the buttermilk and egg.
Step 3. Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Add the buttermilk mixture and softened butter to the bowl with the flour mixture.
Step 4: Form a Rough Ball: Starting with a spoon combine the ingredients in a bowl. Use your hands if needed. It should form a rough ball. Do not overwork the dough.
Step 5. Shape and Bake: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape the dough into an oblong shape, such that it fits into the loaf pan with an inch or so of clearance on both ends. The dough may be slightly sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour or you risk ending up with a dry loaf.
Place the loaf in the parchment-lined loaf pan. Brush the top with the melted butter, sprinkle with turbinado sugar or sanding sugar, then score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or bread lame along the length of the dough.
Tip: Because the baking soda starts to react as soon as it comes in contact with the buttermilk it is important to get the loaf into the oven as quickly as possible after mixing the wet and dry ingredients together. This will ensure the most effective bread rise.
Bake at 350°F for 33-35 minutes. The top should be a medium golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf should come out clean. Allow to cool slightly. If you'd like it to cool faster, place the loaf pan on a wire rack to improve air circulation under the loaf.
🍽️ How To Serve, Store, and Reheat
- To Serve: Cut slices while the loaf is still warm. Serve either plain, spread with butter (or better yet Irish butter, the unsalted version has a higher fat content than typical unsalted butter), serve with jam or alongside an Irish stew. This traditional bread is best served the day of, but it can be reheated for 1-2 days.
- To Store: Wrap the loaf tightly in aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or place in an airtight container and store for 1-2 days.
- To Reheat: The best option for reheating is to toast slices and spread butter on the warm slices so that the butter melts into the toasted bread. Otherwise, you can gently reheat slices in the microwave for a short time on a low power level. If the bread seems dry, you can sprinkle a small amount of water on the slice to help rehydrate it before warming it up. This is in part why the butter is a nice touch when toasting, it helps to add moisture to the bread.
💖 If You're Interested In More Loaf Pan Recipes You May Love These
If you've tried this ☘️ Easy Irish Soda Bread in a Loaf Pan or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Easy Irish Soda Bread in a Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 315g
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Lightly butter a 9-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, cutting the paper to size if needed.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- In a separate bowl add the egg and buttermilk and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients plus the softened butter to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Combine with a large spoon until the dough forms a rough ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean lightly floured work surface. Shape into a roughly 7-inch oblong shape to fit the loaf pan. Place the loaf into the prepared loaf pan. There should be clearance on the ends of the loaf inside the loaf pan.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the melted butter over the loaf. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Use a sharp knife or bread lame to score the center of the loaf.
- Bake at 350°F for 33-35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm on its own or slathered with salted butter.
Notes
-
- Buttermilk: Adds the absolute best flavor. In some recipes you can substitute buttermilk for whole milk mixed with white vinegar or a tablespoon of lemon juice, however, that does not work well with this recipe (I’ve tried it).
- Turbinado Sugar: Crunchy sugar for sprinkling on top. You can find this in most grocery stores in the baking section, sometimes called sugar in the raw. You can also use coarse sanding sugar, or regular granulated sugar in a pinch. Sometimes I’ll dye some granulated sugar green and sprinkle it on top for a fun St. Patrick’s Day touch.
- Lining with Parchment: To get the parchment paper to sit in the loaf pan, lightly butter the bottom and long sides of the pan. The parchment paper will then stick to the butter.
- Round Loaf: This bread can also be shaped into a round loaf and baked directly on a baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet if preferred.
- Get it in the Oven Quickly: Because the baking soda starts to react as soon as it comes in contact with the buttermilk it is important to get the loaf into the oven as quickly as possible after mixing the wet and dry ingredients together. This will ensure the most effective rise.
Wayne says
If I double the recipe to fill the 9 x 5 loaf pan, what adjustments (if any) to the temperature and or baking time ?
(I do use a thermometer and will test for 195-205 F). TY
Lauren says
Hi Wayne, I'm wondering if there would be enough room to double the recipe and still fit it in the loaf pan? I'd suggest trying 1 1/2 the recipe first if you're looking to increase the total amount. Or making two separate loaves. Regardless, if you're are increasing the amount, keep the temperature the same, but extend the baking time. I'd peek in on it at the 35 minute mark, but you'll likely need an extra 10-20 minutes. The best indicator is when a toothpick comes out clean - a thermometer definitely helps! Look for a light-medium brown color on top. It's better to err on the side of less than more to ensure that baking it too long doesn't dry it out. Let me know if you have more questions!