Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
This easy sourdough Irish soda bread is a great and quick recipe perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any time of the year! With just 8 basic ingredients, including sourdough discard, this recipe couldn't be simpler to make! It's easy, quick, and delicious, it's perfect for breakfast, serving alongside stew and soup, or with a cup of tea as an afternoon snack!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
- 1 egg
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour you can also use bread flour, whole wheat flour, white flour, Irish flour, and whole grain flour
- 3 tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 5 tbsp cold butter cut into cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly grease, a large cast iron skillet, and set aside. You can also use a glass baking dish or a Dutch oven. If you like you can line your pan with parchment paper, but I've never had my bread stick to the pan.
- In a small bowl whisk together the wet ingredients(the buttermilk, egg, and sourdough discard) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (the flour, sugar, baking soda, and sea salt.) Add the cubed butter and mix with your hands or a pastry cutter, until it resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs.
- Pour the milk mixture, into the flour mixture, and using a dough whisk or your hands, mix the dough just until it comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead until the dough comes together enough for you to form a ball. Your dough should be slightly wet and resemble biscuit dough.
- Shape your dough into a ball, and place it in your prepared skillet.
- With a sharp knife, cut a slit in the top of the bread, roughly 4 inches long and 1/2 inch deep. You can also cut a deep cross on the top of the dough.
- Place the bread in the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and cook through. (see notes if you are having trouble baking your bread)
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool, either in the skillet or on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*if you don't have buttermilk handy, you can easily create your own sour milk at home! Add 1 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Pour in the milk until the measuring cup reads 1 1/2 cups. Allow the milk to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before starting your bread. This method can be used to replace buttermilk in any recipe!
If the outside of your bread is getting too dark but the middle isn't quite done yet. Cover the top of your bread loosely with aluminum foil, to help prevent the top from burning. Bake the bread for an additional 5 minutes at a time, until done.
You can also use a toothpick inserted into the top of the bread to check if the middle is done.
This soda bread can be stored in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. (you can store the whole loaf or the bread slices.) At room temperature for up to 5 days!
If you don't have a sourdough starter yet but are interested in learning how to make your own, feel free to check out my post How to Make a Sourdough Starter at Home.