Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Sourdough Irish soda bread is a quick bread made with basic ingredients like sourdough starter, buttermilk, flour, sea salt, and baking soda. Use sourdough discard or active starter for this deliciously simple bread.
This is a great recipe to make when you’re just getting started with sourdough, because you won’t need to have a fully mature sourdough starter to make it. Enjoy fresh bread without all the fuss of a long-fermented artisan sourdough bread.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- So Easy! This is a sourdough quick bread recipe that won’t take hours to make, like artisan sourdough bread does. If you’re needing an easy recipe to use with your new sourdough starter, this one would be perfect. You can make a delicious loaf of bread even while you wait for your starter to mature.
- Great Sourdough Discard Recipe: I’m always on the lookout for easy sourdough discard recipes. This recipe is a great way to use up some leftover sourdough starter. Along with recipes like these overnight sourdough biscuits, sourdough crackers, sourdough cranberry scones, and sourdough apple cinnamon scones, this homemade sourdough bread will put your discard to good use!
- Versatile: This is a very versatile bread that you can enjoy for different meals and with different flavors. Make it as written in the recipe for a more traditional, simple flavor. Or, make a sweeter, more American-Irish soda bread, with citrus zest, raisins, or currants.
Perfect Everyday Sourdough Bread
A few years ago, I shared a traditional Irish soda bread recipe here on the blog. My family loves that recipe! And now I’m so happy to be sharing this recipe for sourdough Irish soda bread. This is a great recipe to make around St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s also a great easy everyday bread recipe that goes well with soups like this sausage potato kale soup, cabbage roll soup, or slow cooker chicken stew. This simple bread can also be served with homemade butter and jam for breakfast or a snack.
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Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Kitchen Scale
- Measuring Spoons
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Bread Lame
- Bread Knife
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Sourdough Starter: This recipe uses sourdough starter discard or active sourdough starter. The baking soda is the leavening agent, but this also works with active starter.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use yogurt thinned to the consistency of buttermilk, or you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of milk.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used, and I always try to buy unbleached all-purpose.
- Egg: 1 large egg at room temperature.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is used as a leavening agent in this recipe.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is added for a hint of sweetness.
How to Make Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Here are the step-by-step instructions for making sourdough Irish soda bread:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a kitchen scale, weigh your flour, baking soda, and salt. Place in a medium bowl and whisk together to combine all of the dry ingredients.
Step 2: In a large bowl, put your egg, and weighed sourdough starter, sugar, and buttermilk. Mix together.
Step 3: Pour all of your dry ingredients on top of your wet ingredients and mix them together until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. It takes some muscle to get all the flour mixture incorporated. This is normal. You can also use your hands at the end to mix the dough, but be prepared for them to get messy because this is a sticky dough.
Step 4: Lightly flour your counter and dump the dough out of the bowl and onto the counter.
Step 5: Flour your hands and gently form the dough into a disc shape.
Step 6: Set your dough on top of your prepared baking sheet.
Step 7: Using a sharp knife or bread lame, cut a deep cross or “x” on top of the bread so that while baking the steam can escape.
Step 8: Place the bread in your preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, check your bread and make sure that it is not getting too brown on the top. If it is, you can loosely place aluminum foil over the top of the bread to keep it from burning. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the bread’s internal temperature is greater than 195 degrees, and if you knock on the bottom of the bread it sounds hollow.
Step 9: Remove from the oven and transfer bread to a cooling rack.
Step 10: Let the bread cool for about 15 minutes and then enjoy! It is best eaten warm.
How to Store
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can freeze sliced bread in a freezer-safe plastic zipper bag or container for up to 3 months.
Sourdough Irish Soda Bread Tips
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can thin sour cream or yogurt to the consistency of buttermilk, or you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes until the milk curdles.
- To make a sweeter sourdough soda bread recipe, add dried fruit like raisins or currants to the dough. You can also add orange zest, caraway seeds, chocolate chips, or chopped pecans for more depth of flavor.
- You can use either sourdough discard or active starter for this recipe. The baking soda is what makes the bread rise, so you won’t need your starter to be in its bubbly or active state.
More Sourdough Bread Recipes
- Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Sourdough Focaccia
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Sourdough Loaf
- Overnight Sourdough Biscuits Recipe
- Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!
Ingredients
- 520 grams all-purpose flour about 3 3/4 cups
- 5 grams baking soda 1 teaspoon
- 5 grams sea salt 1 teaspoon
- 1 large egg
- 125 grams sourdough starter discard 1/2 cup
- 30 grams granulated sugar 2 tablespoons
- 355 grams buttermilk about 1 1/3 cups
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a kitchen scale, weigh your flour, baking soda, and salt. Place in a medium bowl and whisk together to combine all of the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl put your egg, and weighed sourdough starter, sugar, and buttermilk. Mix together.
- Pour all of your dry ingredients on top of your wet ingredients and mix them together until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. It takes some muscle to get all the flour incorporated. This is normal. You can also use your hands at the end to mix the dough but be prepared for them to get messy because this is a sticky dough.
- Lightly flour your counter and dump the dough out of the bowl and onto the counter.
- Flour your hands and gently form the dough into a disc shape.
- Set your dough on top of your parchment lined baking sheet.
- Using a sharp knife or bread lame, cut a deep cross or "x" on top of the bread so that while baking the steam can escape.
- Place the bread in your preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, check your bread and make sure that it is not getting too brown on the top. If it is, you can loosely place aluminum foil over the top of the bread to keep it from burning. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the bread's internal temperature is greater than 195 degrees and if you knock on the bottom of the bread it sounds hollow.
- Remove from the oven and transfer bread to a cooling rack.
- Let the bread cool for about 15 minutes and then enjoy! It is best eaten warm.
Notes
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- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can thin sour cream or yogurt to the consistency of buttermilk, or you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes until the milk curdles.
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- To make a sweeter sourdough soda bread recipe, add dried fruit like raisins or currants to the dough. You can also add orange zest, caraway seeds, chocolate chips, or chopped pecans for more depth of flavor.
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- You can use either sourdough discard or active starter for this recipe. The baking soda is what makes the bread rise, so you won’t need your starter to be in its bubbly or active state.
