Traditional Irish Soda Bread Without Buttermilk
Is it possible to make a Traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe without the use of buttermilk? Yes, it is and I'll show you how to make this delicious bread from start to finish in under one hour (it's closer to a 50 minute recipe) with only 5 minutes of hands on time.
Irish Soda Bread is great to serve with a Ham and Cabbage dinner like this one but it isn't just for St. Patrick's Day.
It's a quick bread (not a yeast bread) with simple ingredients and that makes it easy to serve fresh bread year round, even when you're in a pinch for time.
One of the best things about this Irish recipe is that the result is homemade bread with an amazing taste and texture without all of the kitchen time needed for most other bread recipes.
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Notes, etc., for this Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe
How is this bread made without yeast?
The baking soda in this recipe is a quick acting leavening agent. The sodium bicarbonate reacts to the acid in the buttermilk mixture, creating a chemical reaction, to release carbon dioxide gas and this is what causes it to rise therefore eliminating the rising time associated with traditional homemade bread.
How to Make the Buttermilk Substitute
You simply add 1 tablespoon of either plain white vinegar, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar to a measuring cup. Then add enough milk, either whole milk or 2% milk to the cup to make 1 cup total, stir, and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Can whole wheat flour be substituted for the all-purpose flour?
Yes, it can.
Can anything be added to this to jazz it up a bit?
Of course! I like to add a cup of raisin to the recipe before stirring in the buttermilk.
What to serve with Irish bread?
I like to serve it fresh with room temperature butter. Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter is a perfect pairing. If serving for breakfast or as a snack, butter and strawberry jam are a great topping choice.
This is also great served with heart soups, like this ham and bean soup, or with corned beef and cabbage.
Overview of Basic Ingredients for Traditional Soda Bread
The full recipe with instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can find helpful tips and notes within this blog post itself.
- All purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice
- Whole milk or 2% milk
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
In large mixing bowl place dry ingredients.
Stir in buttermilk substitute.
Turn onto a floured surface. Knead lightly and form into a round loaf. Using a serrated knife, cut a deep cross (an X) into the top of the loaf. Place on a floured
Cool on wire rack.
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📖 Recipe
Irish Soda Bread Made Without Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 cups whole milk minus 2 tablespooons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place 2 tablespoons vinegar in measuring cup. Add enough milk to measure 2 cups. Stir well and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda).
- Make small well in center of flour mixture.
- Stir in milk/vinegar (buttermilk). Mix to a soft dough consistency.
- Turn on to a floured work surface and knead lightly.
- Press out into a flat, round cake type loaf, about 2 inches high.
- Slice an "X" in the top.
- Place on a floured cookie sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned.
- When done, it will sound hollow when tapped.
- Cool on wire rack.
- Slice and serve!
As with any of my recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish.
Nutrition
