The world’s best No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread! Irish bread is unique because it’s a 4 ingredient, 5 minute recipe made without yeast but still has a proper crumb just like “real” bread.
You don’t need to be Irish to make this.😉 You just need to be a fellow Carb Monster! Rustic flavour, great crust, keeps well for days. Slather with butter, mop your plate clean, dunk into soups – or Irish Beef and Guinness Stew!
World’s BEST No Yeast Bread!
People say that the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven is one of the best things in the world.
Forget the smell. What about the moment when you cut yourself a thick slice of warm homemade bread, slather it with butter then take a big fat, satisfying bite of it??
I’ll take THAT over the smell any day ……. 😂
“Irish Soda Bread takes just 5 minutes to get in the oven. So you can have fresh bread any night!”
What it tastes like
It’s called Irish Soda Bread because it’s made with baking soda instead of yeast. Because of this, it’s more dense than your everyday white sandwich bread. Hearty and rustic are the words that come to mind, and it tastes kind of nutty from the wholemeal flour.
While dense, it still has an aerated crumb like “normal” bread. And it’s got a great crust which I love!
What goes in Irish Soda Bread
Here’s what you need:
Flour – white flour makes a slightly more tender crumb whereas wholewheat/wholemeal adds flavour. So using both is best – but it can be made with just either flour.
Baking Soda – This is baking powder on steroids, with almost 3 times as much rising power. Because this is a formidable ball of dough we’re working with here, we need the super strength of baking soda instead of baking powder!
Buttermilk – The vinegar in buttermilk activates the baking soda, giving it a kickstart which you need for a loaf of bread this size. Easy sub: Just mix milk and lemon juice or vinegar, leave to curdle and use per recipe. It’s a near perfect sub.
Salt – the only seasoning required! See below for more flavouring options
Don’t worry if you don’t have buttermilk. Make your own with milk and vinegar – it’s a near perfect substitute.
No egg? No butter? No sugar??
That’s right! This is a traditional Irish Soda Bread we’re making here. For one thing, this bread is better without egg and butter. Egg makes the bread less moist, and the butter made the crumb less tender (I made side by side versions just to be sure).
And this bread has enough flavour to eat plain with just lashings of butter so you don’t need extra flavourings like sugar and spices – though you can if you want.
To avoid your Soda Bread coming out as hard as a canon ball, don’t knead more than 10 times!
Irish Soda Bread Tips
Irish Soda bread is a mix / 10 second knead / shape / bake job. It’s very simple and quite forgiving but I do have a few tips to ensure yours is a success even if you’re a bread first timer.
3 minutes into oven – Once you add the buttermilk, aim to get it into the oven within 3 minutes. This is because buttermilk activates the baking soda. So the second it is added, the baking soda is fizzing away, getting ready to do its thing. If you leave it lying around, it loses its firepower = dense dough.
10 Knead Rule – Like all no yeast bread / muffin type recipes like Blueberry Muffins and Herb Garlic Quick Bread Loaf, the less you handle the dough, the softer the crumb. So don’t knead more than 10 times!
The wetter the dough, the more moist the crumb – Just use enough flour to be able to shape and move the dough.
As with every dough recipe, even simple No Yeast flatbreads, the exact amount of flour required will differ for everyone, even from day to day. Different flour brands, humidity, warmth, coldness of your work surface – all these impact the exact amount of flour required.
It’s better to have a stickier dough and add more flour as required, rather than a dry dough which is hard to salvage. So I start with 1.75 cups, then measure out another 1/4 cup for dusting/kneading and just use what’s required.
Variations
This version I’m sharing today is a plain traditional Irish bread. I say it’s “plain” but it’s certainly not flavourless. You’ll find yourself devouring it with nothing more than butter! But it’s also a terrific to add flavourings, some common variations include:
Oats – inside and sprinkled on top
Raisins, caraway seeds
Seeds – sesame, sunflower, linseed and pumpkin seeds is a combination I tried at my local markets today!
Eat it plain, toast it, or serve it with….
This is such a great last minute emergency bread. It’s so quick to make, but you won’t feel like you’re “just making do” just because it’s a no yeast bread. It is a great bread as it is.
Make it to dunk into one of these soups or stews:
OR use it for toast in the morning. Make Cheesy Garlic Bread, or big Jewish deli-style Pastrami sandwiches. Just use this as you would any other bread – except you have the added bonus of smug satisfaction knowing you made it yourself!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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World’s Best No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread!
Ingredients
- 2 cups white flour (plain / all purpose)
- 1 3/4 cups wholemeal flour (wholewheat, Note 1)
- 2 – 3 tbsp Extra Flour (either flour, for dusting)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb, Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk , fridge cold (Note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan).
- Line tray with baking paper.
- Whisk both flours (not Extra Flour), baking soda and salt in a bowl.
- Add buttermilk, stir until it’s too hard to stir anymore.
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp Extra Flour onto work surface, scrape out dough, sprinkle with more flour.
- Gently knead no more than 8 times, bring together into a ball. (Note 4)
- Transfer to tray, pat into 2.5cm/1″ thick disc.
- Cut cross on surface 1cm / 0.3″ deep using serrated knife.
- Bake 20 minutes. Turn oven down to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Bake further 20 minutes, or until the base sounds hollow when tapped in the middle.
- Transfer to rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Notes:
- 1.75 cups (435ml) + 1 tbsp of full fat milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice (or other clear vinegar)
- Mix the milk and lemon juice together, set aside for 15 minutes. It will congeal on surface. Then use in place of buttermilk in recipe.
- Volume is just shy of 2 cups of buttermilk (per recipe) because this substitute is thinner so you need to use a touch less otherwise dough gets too wet.
- Oats – brush surface with extra buttermilk and sprinkle with oats. Can also mix in oats (up to 1 cup), but reduce flour in dough by 1/2 cup;
- Raisins! Stir in 1 cup
- Seeds! Pumpkin, linseeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppyseed. Stir through and sprinkle on top, about 1/2 cup.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
When he spotted a duck under the jetty. It took much effort to drag him back up the stairs – and he very nearly pulled me into the water!!
Can recipe be halved? Does gluten-free flour work?
You can halve the recipe but I don’t recommend g/f flour. N x
Awesome bread! So easy-very moist. Will definitely make again and again!
Woo hoo!! I am happy you liked it J!! N x
If you wanted to add grated cheese to the soda bread, what would be the optimum amount to add without changing the texture or rising of the loaf. When adding cheese to anything I tend to work with the theory that (a lot) more is better. That might not work so well with the soda bread.
I’m sorry L.S. but I haven’t tested the maximum cheese amount you can add so I am not sure – start with 3/4 cup and see how you go! N x
I was given this for breakfast when I stayed in Southern Ireland by my landlady. It was delicious!
I’ve baked this, it’s sooo easy and tasted exactly like the one from the Airbnb. Thank you!!!!!
Hi Nagi,
This looks Fabulous! I will have to give it a try.
I have been dabbling (and baking) various sourdough recipes which has been a tad* Amazing!
I would love your take on a really good sourdough recipe!
As you really know how to write recipes Amazingly and simply for us aspiring cooking folks 😉
Thanks
Cathy x
This is the first no yeast loaf that I would definitely make again. My loaf was ready at the 33 minute mark.
Thanks Nagi!
Yep another winner from Nagi. Just a plain white flour loaf with oats sprinkled on the top. Now eating it on day 2, toasted with foie gras pate. Delicious!
Hi just wondering if anyone or yourself have used GF flour , if so which ones please
Your Irish Brown Bread no yeast loaf was a thumbs up from my Irish Dad! I made first loaf following your recipe yesterday. Followed your advice except I made it look more like my Irish Grandma’s loaf and the blessing cross a bit deeper. Loving it! Next will add raisins for an extra thumb up from Dad. Gotta check out your other recipes and gotta get back to Australia! Thanks much.
I love it when I get comments like that on a classic!! N x
Quick question: if I’m going to use only plain flour, do I add the quantity of the whole meal flour – the 1 3/4 c to the 2 cups? Adding the raisins and some orange zest to todays bake! Thanks!
The loaf is baking as I compose this. My brother made it and passed your site to me to try. We grew up with Irish Brown Bread as we call it. Our Irish Grandma always made it for us when she visited us in Canada. I’ve been trying numerous recipes from Ireland – Ballymaloe, Kevin Dundon, Rachel Allen , Clodagh McKenna , Odlums flour company recipe , as well as from my Irish cookbooks. I went so far as to bring home a suitcase filled with bags of flour and bicarb from Ireland to add to the authenticity for my Irish Daddy! I so look forward to tasting yours later on today!! Thanks for sharing! Will rate it after the tasting with a lashing of butter!
I have a new convection oven. Any recommendations on bake temp & time for convection most welcome 😊
Made it this morning for breakfast and the whole family loved it, better than anything shop bought! Kept the dough moist as you suggested – thanks for a great recipe and description!
Quick, easy bread recipe! It was great with your Irish Beef and Guinness Stew!
The perfect match! N x
Nagi
this is a lovely post…and effective recipe . Well done.
Hi!
Would it be okay if I used whole wheat flour only? And no all purpose flour? That’ll be healthier…
Thanks!
I don’t have a lot of money right now but I was craving some carbs, hardcore. This was the perfect, simple, inexpensive recipe! I had oat milk in my pantry so I used that mixed with a little bit of ACV for the buttermilk. Perfect!
Hi. Can I use canned coconut milk? Thanks.
Sorry Kate, that won’t work here. N x
Hi Nagi
I tried it anyways.
It didn’t come out bad. It was a bit more dense – just the way we like it.
I will make it correctly next time to see the difference.
Thanks for the swift reply… and the great recipe!
The milk does NO congeal with neither vinegar nor lemon juice. I tried both and nothing happened even after leaving for 30 minutes.
It’s not really supposed to congeal. It just gets kind of sour and a little bit thicker. It’s the chemistry of it that makes it work 🙂
Delicious, made several times with Plain Flour, im using with wholemeal and plain flour today, with the leek and potato soup recipe.
I only have bread flour. Can I use it?
It isn’t that you can’t use bread flour I think just that it would be wasted in this recipe but if it is all you have . . .