{"id":612141,"date":"2018-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T07:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/origin-www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/classic-irish-soda-bread\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T13:00:18","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T19:00:18","slug":"classic-irish-soda-bread","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/classic-irish-soda-bread\/","title":{"rendered":"Irish Soda Bread"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to our favorite Irish recipes, this easy bread is at the top of the roster, and for good reason: It\u2019s deliciously dense yet soft and very easy to make, forgoing any use of tricky yeast or laborious kneading.<\/p>\n

Irish soda bread is perfect eaten on its own, slathered in Irish butter and jam. And around March 17, it’s right at home alongside other classic St. Patrick\u2019s Day recipes<\/a> like corned beef and cabbage<\/a> and Guinness beef stew<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is Irish soda bread?<\/h2>\n

\"ClassicTaste Recipes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Irish soda bread is a quick bread that\u2019s leavened with baking soda and buttermilk, thanks to a chemical reaction between the two ingredients. I’m fascinated by its history.<\/p>\n

For centuries, Irish flour did not contain enough gluten to rise with yeast, so home cooks made bread flat on a griddle. When baking soda arrived in Ireland in the mid-19th century, bakers tried it in their bread dough, inventing the classic Irish recipe<\/a> we know and love today.<\/p>\n

Eventually, more glutinous flour made its way over to Ireland, and bakers used it to make yeasted loaves\u2014what the Irish call \u201cshop bread.\u201d Because of this, the BBC says Irish soda bread went out of style<\/a> for a time. Lucky for us, it became popular again in the ’60s when some trendy Irish restaurants started featuring it on their menus.<\/p>\n

Now, almost every Irish bakery sells its own version of soda bread\u2014with raisins, whole wheat flour, caraway seeds, grains, treacle, nuts and even Guinness.<\/p>\n

Irish Soda Bread Ingredients<\/h2>\n