When I couldn’t afford a $4 loaf of bread on my $10-a-day food budget, I turned to soda bread. I would make a loaf every morning, slice it, and top it with scrambled eggs, mashed avocado, or butter. I’d serve it as a partner in crime with simple salads and soups. I even used it on an episode of MasterChef (I competed on Season 3), and Gordon Ramsay loved it. This recipe is very easy to put together and incredibly budget-friendly. Get ready to put this one in heavy rotation!
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“I made this for St. Patrick’s Day dinner, following the photo instructions and it was a great success! My family and I loved it! I have a history of messing up recipes, even easy ones, and this was foolproof.”
Laura Weston
no-knead Soda Bread
Many cultures worldwide make some form of soda bread, and it is thought to have been created by Native Americans. However, the most commonly known recipe is for Irish soda bread. It became a popular recipe in Ireland during the famine when bread had to be made from cheap ingredients: soft wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and sour milk. Soda bread is leavened with baking soda, which gives it its namesake.
To develop its trademark soft crumb, you touch the dough as little as possible while shaping it. If you prefer a chewier kneaded bread texture but don’t want to put in all that work, try our easy No-Knead Bread recipe. This easy-to-make, budget-friendly recipe quickly became a staple in my kitchen, and I’m confident it will in yours too.
Easy Soda Bread
Servings 8 slicesIngredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.27)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda ($0.01)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.06)
- 1 cup buttermilk* ($0.32)
Instructions
- Set a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat it to 450°F. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until they are fully incorporated.
- Form a well in the center of the flour mixture and fill the well with the buttermilk.
- Use a fork to incorporate the flour into the buttermilk little by little until a thick batter forms. Use your hands to incorporate the final bits of flour and gently shape the batter into a dough. Do not overwork the dough.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and gently shape it into a round 6 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches thick.
- Place the dough in a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet. Use a sharp knife to cut a large x into the top of the dough.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 450°F. Then lower the oven temperature to 400°F and continue baking until the bread is golden brown and crusty on the outside, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Easy Soda Bread Step-by-Step Photos
Set a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 450°F. Mix the 2 cups of flour, the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl until they are fully incorporated.
Form a well in the center of the flour mixture and fill the well with the buttermilk.
Use a fork to incorporate the flour into the buttermilk little by little until a thick batter forms. Use your hands to incorporate the final bits of flour and gently shape the batter into a dough. Do not overwork the dough.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and gently shape it into a round 6 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches thick.
Place the loaf in a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet. Use a sharp knife to cut a large x into the top of the dough.
Bake for 10 minutes at 450°F. Then lower the oven temperature to 400°F and continue baking until the bread is golden brown and crusty on the outside, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.
Enjoy the warm, cozy soda bread with a thick smear of butter and your favorite bowl of soup!
Variations
Traditionally, Irish soda bread is just four ingredients. But Irish Americans add currants or caraway seeds to the dough. You can also add a few teaspoons of citrus zest or your favorite fresh herbs. For a fun twist, try it with Everything Bagel seasoning. It’s truly a blank canvas, so don’t be scared to experiment with your favorite flavors.
Serving Suggestions
This soda bread is perfect for sopping up that last bit of sauce or stew. I especially like to serve it with Vegan Winter Lentil Stew, Pumpkin Soup, Vegetable Barley Soup, or Chunky Ham And Bean Soup.
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a post before but I have to leave this a review!!
I’m gluten free and this has been my go to bread recipe for the last month. It is so forgiving! It has been successful every time as long as I cooked it completely. It’s a good one to cook at night and cut in the morning (helps it not be gummy). I’ve even turned it into cinnamon bread and everyone loved it! Including the gluten eaters.
I sub – 1 cup of flour and a couple of oz of milk for about 230 grams of sourdough discard or starter. I use the king Arthur cup for cup flour.
Absolutely Delish!! I did add raisins and a little sugar, my husband requires sweeter 😊
Was as easy as you stated!! And so very delish!! I will often make it, and so as you suggest add at times some herbs depending on what we are serving with!
🙏❤️🙏
Absolutely perfect. . I do not understand why anyone would have trouble with this recipe not turning out right
I should have read the reviews before making this. It was way too much liquid. I added in another half cup of flour, and it was still a sticky mess. I lost half the dough to my hands and floured surface. In frustration, I threw it in the oven and it’s rock solid.
Literal human response, not a paid person or bot. The worst recipe. Bread was too shaggy. Added flour when had it was on floured surface. Then, bottom stuck to cast iron after baking. Instructions should say to spray the cast iron pot-mine is ceramic. Much better recipes out there. You will be disappointed.
I normally make a loaf of yeasted bread to go with my chicken soup, but I was short on time. I am so happy I found this recipe! I was a bit worried because I only had 1% milk in the house, but it worked. The only change I made was to add the vinegar to my measuring cup and then add enough milk to make 1 cup, then waited ten minutes.. That is how I learned to sour milk. Having said that, I don’t think it needed the whole cup of milk. It was quite sticky, rather than the shaggy dough shown in the photos. I just added a bit more flour and it came together. I measured my flour at 120 grams for each cup. I also baked it on parchment on a baking sheet because I don’t have easy access to a Dutch oven. It all worked out fine so don’t be afraid to try it if you don’t have one either. My family loved it!
I planned on baking yeast bread today but ran out of time. I found this recipe and 45 minutes later my family was enjoying two loaves of this simple yet delicious bread! Thanks for sharing! Our veggie soup would have been lonely without it.
I can’t understand the problems some people have had with this recipe. It’s perfect! Maybe some of those who have found the dough crumbly aren’t measuring their flour correctly, so their cups are far too compact. I like to use a scale (120 grams per cup of AP flour). It’s quick, easy, and accurate. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour. Easy peasy. I nearly always use a milk/vinegar substitute for the buttermilk, so I truly always have the ingredients on hand. Each fall, I start making a pot of soup or stew and a loaf of this bread nearly every night!
Can you use whole wheat flour as a substitute in this recipe?
Whole wheat flour soaks up a lot more liquid and you would likely end up with quite a dry loaf. You can always experiment with it and add more buttermilk as needed, but it can already tend to be a drier bread so I would be cautious.
I’ve tried this three times and it failed to turn into a dough every time, just a sticky mess. It would be helpful to indicate about how long it takes to turn from batter to dough. Telling me to be careful to not overwork the batter leaves me afraid to keep working it until it actually might become dough. I’ll likely just spend the money to support my local baker.
Nope… didn’t rise. Followed recipe to the letter and it’s just time wasted. Added a touch more buttermilk to the recipe because it was way too dry.
Too dry like eating crackers. Need butter or margarine, and sugar.
I forgot to buy bread and don’t have yeast!
This took minutes. The sink filled faster than I could make the loaf.
Fantastic recipe for the single guy with a very small kitchen!
This base recipe is fantastic. I’ve also recently had great results by making jalapeno-cheddar and bacon-cheddar variants. Left a loaf out at a gathering and it was all quickly eaten.
Can you make with whole wheat flour instead?
Other readers have done this with success! Whole wheat flour tends to be drier than AP, so just watch the texture of you dough, you may need a bit more moisture to hydrate it properly.