Sourdough Irish Soda Bread | An Easy Long-fermented Recipe
Sourdough Irish soda bread has a dense but light crumb and a deliciously crunchy crust. An easy recipe that is a perfect breakfast with jam or a wonderful side for dinner, this sourdough version is a fun and delicious twist on traditional Irish soda bread.
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It’s almost St. Patty’s Day, and this is a great recipe to try! Sourdough Irish Soda Bread is not a traditional Irish soda bread recipe, but if you are looking for a long-fermented sourdough quick bread recipe, this easy soda bread is a great one to try! It almost tastes like a biscuit in a round loaf form. We like to serve this simple bread for breakfast with eggs or with jam. We also usually make a loaf to serve with our corned beef and cabbage that we traditionally make for St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
Ingredients needed to make Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Unsalted Butter, softened
- All-purpose flour – White flour gives this bread a more delicate crumb, but whole wheat flour
- Sourdough Starter discard
- Sugar – For a hint of sweetness and that crispy crust
- Salt – For flavor
- Baking soda – The leavening agent that will make your bread rise
- Teaspoons cream of tartar
- Buttermilk
How to Make Irish Soda Bread with Sourdough
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour to the butter.
- Cut butter into flour using a fork, food processor, or with your hands,
- Add 1 cup of sourdough starter to the flour mixture.
- Add sugar and stir until nicely incorporated.
- Add the buttermilk.
- Place a clean tea towel over the bowl and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 8-24 hours.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 400 F. Add the remaining dry ingredients, the baking soda, and salt to the fermented dough.
- Incorporate the baking soda and salt very well using a wooden spoon, mixer with the paddle attachment, or your hands.
- Pat dough into a round about 5 inches in diameter and 2 1/2 inches high. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Score dough by cutting a deep cross shape on the top of the loaf.
- Bake in a 400 degrees F oven until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees, 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and brush the top of the bread with melted butter. Cool the loaf of bread to room temperature before slicing. Use a serrated sharp knife to cut the bread, it can be a little crumbly.
How to Store Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Irish Soda bread is best eaten the day it’s made, but leftovers will keep in a sealed bag or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The slices are best served toasted or grilled with butter after storing.
For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze the slices in a sealed freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Defrost and warm up individual soda bread slices in the toaster or oven before serving them.
How to Make Vegan Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Since the original recipe does not contain eggs it is pretty easy to make this bread with vegan ingredients. To create a vegan-friendly soda bread, swap the butter with an equal amount of plant-based butter. Replace buttermilk with an equal amount of plant-based milk plus 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to sour it
How to serve Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Irish butter – delicious on this bread
- Honey – is also great with the irish butter
- As a side for St. Patrick’s Day dinner – Corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes
- With jam or jelly for breakfast or a snack with a cup of tea
- As a side for Beef Irish Stew or any favorite soup
Recipe Faqs
Can soda bread be frozen?
Yes, to freeze soda bread first slice it and freeze the slices in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost and warm the slices in the toaster or oven, or you can grill them in a cast iron skillet with a little butter.
Can soda bread be made without buttermilk?
Yes, you can swap buttermilk with soured milk. Simply add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar per 1 cup of milk to sour it.
More Sourdough Recipes From Indigo Spring Home
I love homemade sourdough recipes that use sourdough discard. Here are a few you might like to try:
The Best Sourdough Waffles Using Sourdough Discard
Sourdough Ricotta Pancakes | Sourdough Discard Recipe
How to Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch
Printable Recipe Card
Sourdough Irish Soda Bread | An Easy Long-fermented Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter softened
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of sourdough discard
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 cup of buttermilk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour to the butter.
- Cut butter into flour using a fork, food processor, pastry cutter, or with your hands, The butter should kind of disappear into the flour.
- Add 1 cup of sourdough starter to the flour mixture.
- Add sugar and stir until nicely incorporated.
- Add the buttermilk and stir again until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Place a clean tea towel over the bowl and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 8 and up to 24 hours. The longer it sits, the more fermented and sour it will be.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 400 F. Add the baking soda and the salt to the fermented dough by evenly sprinkling them over the fermented dough to avoid chunks. The baking soda is the rising agent for this recipe.
- Mix to incorporate the baking soda and salt very well using a wooden spoon, mixer with the paddle attachment, or your hands.
- Tip the dough into a 12 or 16″ cast iron skillet or a Dutch oven. Pat the dough into a round as best you can. This is a shaggy dough, so don’t worry about it looking perfect. Score the dough by cutting a cross shape on the top of the loaf.
- Bake in a 400 degrees F oven until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees, 30-40 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven and brush the top of the bread with melted butter. Cool to the loaf of breadroom temperature before slicing. Use a serrated sharp knife to cut the bread, it can be a little crumbly.
- Serve with Irish butter or jam as a delicious breakfast or side dish.
Sourdough Soda Bread
This is amazing!! I did add a little water as I was squishing in the dough to help better incorporate the baking soda and salt, I baked this in my Dutch oven, covered, at 450 for about 40 mins. 10/10!! It has a lovely sour flavor.
I’m so glad you liked it!