When March rolls in, I always reach for this Sourdough Irish Soda Bread! It’s one of those recipes I’ve made enough times to know it comes out perfectly every time! I’ve tested it again and again to keep it simple, reliable, and perfect for using up sourdough discard. No long rise times, no complicated steps, just a cozy, hearty loaf that comes together fast and tastes incredible with a thick smear of real Irish butter. It’s my go-to St. Patrick’s Day bread, especially when I want something homemade that doesn’t take all day.
Once St. Patty's Day comes around, I make Irish Soda bread constantly! You have to! It's a great bread to serve and it's a super easy recipe! No matter the level of baker you are, you can make this easy snack! They would be great to serve alongside Shamrock cookies!
This might not be a traditional Irish soda bread recipe, but it is close! Instead of commercial yeast, this Irish soda bread recipe is more of a type of quick bread recipe, meaning it is made with baking soda and some baking powder to help it the bread rise. No matter what, I love to enjoy this bread with butter and it's a great recipe to keep on hand as an afternoon snack!
Baking with sourdough discard is one of my favorite things to do! You can make baked sourdough donuts, sourdough discard banana bread, and even sourdough discard pancakes!
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What is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you are not feeding. When you are "feeding" your starter to make bread with, you add equal parts flour, water, and starter to a mason jar and let it rise. With your sourdough discard, you can make delicious recipes like sourdough discard cinnamon rolls.
You can't feed your entire starter, as it doubles and sometimes triples in size, and that's a lot of starter to have on hand! If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out how to feed and maintain a sourdough starter post all about how to keep your sourdough starter happy.
Ingredients You'll Need
- All Purpose Flour. A combination of whole wheat flour and white flour can be used too!
- Sourdough Discard. Meaning it has not been fed. It is straight out of the refrigerator and not active and bubbly. If you are new to sourdough, you can make your own sourdough starter, buy it, or get one from a fellow sourdough friend! Be sure to join our Sourdough Facebook group with other Sourdough fanatics sharing their favorite sourdough and sourdough discard recipes as well as tips and tricks!
- Buttermilk. Buttermilk helps activate the baking soda to make the bread rise.
- Leavening agent. Even though we are using sourdough starter, we still need baking soda and baking powder to make the bread rise.
- Eggs. To keep the bread together.
- Raisins. Dried cranberries can be used instead of raisins, or a combination of both can be used. You can also use currants as that is very common in this bread too!
How To Make Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Grease and flour two loaf pans or one large cast iron skillet. Line a cast iron skillet with a piece of parchment paper.
Mix all the wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dough comes together. The dough will be very wet and sticky. You can mix it in a large bowl, but the dough is very heavy and can be a work out!
Pour the dough into the prepared cast iron skillet. With a sharp knife, cut a deep cross into the top of the bread. Bake for one hour or until a knife is inserted into the middle and comes out clean.
Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack before cutting.
Tips and Tricks
- Parchment paper ensures that the bread does not stick to the pan and comes out easily. You can use aluminum foil if you have it, but I find that parchment paper works better.
- Buttermilk is simply just sour milk. You can easily find it in your local grocery store, but if you don't have it, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk to make the buttermilk mixture.
- Cutting a slit in the top of the ball of dough allows the bread to rise and spread easily. If there is no cut on the top of the bread, the bread will expand and not be a beautiful round loaf.
Variations and Substitutions
- Traditional Irish Soda Bread has caraway seeds in it, so feel free to add some caraway seeds to the dough.
- Instead of a round loaf, butter and flour a large loaf pan or two loaf pans and pour the batter into the loaf pans. You can also bake this in a large, heavy bottom Dutch oven.
- To make it an even more traditional Irish soda bread, line a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and shape the dough on the prepared baking sheet into a round loaf.
- Add some flavorings! Orange zest or your favorite type of citrus zest is delicious in this bread!
- Make them into muffins! Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and scoop some dough into each of the cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes for until the tops are golden brown. Serve them with your favorite butter, jam, or honey!
Does This Bread Taste Sour?
No, the sourdough discard adds a bit of a tang to the bread, but it does not taste sour. It also adds a bit of rise to the bread and is a great balance for the sweetness of the sugar. If you want to up the sour flavor, chill the batter in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight. That will promote the fermentation process and result in a bread that is more sour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! That will give the bread just a little more rise, which will be delicious!
Once the bread cools to room temperature, store the bread in an airtight container or in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. You can also freeze the bread in a freezer friendly bag or container. It will stay fresh in the freezer up to 3 months. To defrost the bread, simply keep it on the counter until it defrosts.
Yes! If you have a stand mixer, it's easier for the stand mixer to do the heavy lifting than you, but you can make this in regular bowls too. Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. The dough is very heavy, so you'll need some arm strength to mix this dough!
More Sourdough Recipes
- Instant Pot Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Breadsticks
- Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
Did you make this recipe and love it?
If you did, don't forget to leave a 5-star review and comment below! Show me your creation on Instagram or Facebook. Just mention @Lynn'sWayofLife or use this hashtag #lynnswayoflife.
📖 Recipe
One Bowl Sourdough Discard Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Sourdough Discard Unfed
- 3 Eggs
- 1 ½ cups Raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a cast iron skillet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Mix all the wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dough comes together. The dough will be very wet and sticky.
- Pour the dough into the prepared cast iron skillet. With a sharp knife, cut a slit into the top of the bread. Bake for one hour or until a knife is inserted into the middle and comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack before cutting.
Video
Notes
- Bread flour or a combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour can work in this recipe.
- To make your own buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Keep the bread on an airtight container or a gallon Ziploc bag on the counter for up to 4 days. Freeze the bread up to 3 months in an airtight container or a gallon sized Ziploc bag.
Nicole Dieckmann says
My whole family loved this recipe! I would definitely recommend making two smaller loaves from this just to make sure that it throughly cooks in the middle of the loaf.