Last updated on March 8th, 2025
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This Irish Soda Bread has a tender, scone-like texture, with a warm depth of Irish whiskey-soaked currants and bright zing of orange zest. It makes for a festive addition to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration or on a Spring breakfast table.
What is Irish Soda Bread?
Irish soda bread is a traditional quick bread that is similar in texture to a scone, but made without yeast. It uses baking soda as the leavening agent which reacts with buttermilk to create rise and a slightly tangy flavor. Unlike traditional yeast breads, this easy Irish soda bread doesn’t require any kneading or rising time, making it quick to bake. Serve it plain with Irish butter, or savory by not adding the currants and pair with a hearty stew. Although this is a traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe, I’ve added currants and orange zest for a flavor boost.
My recipe inspiration came from my 1967 “America Cooks, The General Federation of Women’s Clubs Cookbook.” The original recipe states “Originally, the daily bread was made with just caraway seeds, but for Sundays, raisins were added and the loaf was iced.”
Did you know? Traditionally, Irish Soda Bread is marked with a cross on the top as a blessing of thanks. However, the main purpose is that it allows the heat to reach the center of the loaf for even baking.
- omitted the caraway seeds
- added orange zest for zing of flavor
- added currants instead of raisins for their dainty size and tangy sweetness
- soaked the currants in Jameson Whiskey for a boost of flavor & nod to St. Patrick’s Day
- added more butter to make it richer and more flavorful
- decorated the top of the bread with course sanding sugar for crunch
- added Instant ClearJel to improve the texture and retain the moisture in the bread
Ingredients
flour: Use all-purpose unbleached flour with 10-12% protein, such as King Arthur or Sir Galahad Artisan Flour (its bulk-purchased name) which has 11.7% protein. Avoid bread flour, as its higher protein content (11-14%), develops more gluten, which results in dense baked goods.
butter: American butter is made from cream and contains 80% butterfat as regulated by the USDA. Try to use a good quality butter in baked goods as it will make a difference. Another option is European butter, which is churned longer, has a higher fat content (82%-85%), with less water it yields more flavor, but can be more expensive.
sugar: Sugar is derived from sugarcane and is a key ingredient in baking that provides sweetness, texture, and moisture to baked goods. The most common type being granulated white sugar. For a more natural option, use cane sugar which is less processed and has a slight golden color and hint of molasses. It does have a slightly courser texture, so be sure to incorporate a bit longer when mixing into recipes.
buttermilk: Buttermilk is a cultured dairy product that adds a tangy flavor and creates tenderness in baked goods. When purchasing buttermilk, look for simple, natural ingredients such as “cultured milk”. MAKE YOUR OWN! Add 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup and add cream or whole milk until it reaches the 1 c. measure line and let it sit for a few minutes before use.
eggs: Eggs are important in baking because their protein provides structure, they are a natural leavener trapping air that expands during baking, and they add moisture to baked goods.
currants: Zante currants are are a small, dried, dark seedless grape. If you don’t have currants on hand, a smaller type of raisin such as a Thompson raisin is fine to use.
whisky: Irish Whisky is a triple-distilled alcoholic spirit, made from malted barley and other grains, aged in wooden casks in Ireland for at least three years. It is different from other whiskeys because the triple-distillation give it a smoother, lighter taste.
orange: Oranges are a citrus fruit that add a bright, zesty flavor to savory and sweet foods. Before squeezing the juice, zest the peel with a microplane tool and add it to baked goods for zingy flavor.
ClearJel: Add Instant ClearJel to baked goods for a light and tender texture. If ClearJel is hard to find, cornstarch is a good substitute. To swap: If the recipe calls for 1 T. cornstarch, use 1 1/2 T. ClearJel. If the recipe calls for 2 T. flour or tapioca, use 1 T. ClearJel.
sparkling sugar: (sometimes called course sugar) consists of large, heat resistant crystals that add texture and crunch to baked goods. Perfect for sprinkling on top of scones, muffins, and cookies for a professional look. However, it is sometimes confused with sanding sugar (also called colored sugar) which has a finer grain and melts into baked goods, rather than retaining its shape.
- For a flavor boost, soak your currants or raisins in a bit of Irish whiskey for about 15 minutes before adding them to the batter
- Before adding soaked fruit, drain first and toss lightly in flour so they will distribute evenly in the dough.
- Brush the bread with a light coat of heavy cream with a pastry brush and sprinkle on sanding sugar. This helps give shiny gloss to the bread and adds a nice crunch.
How to make Irish Soda Bread
Equipment
Recommended tools: (affiliate links)
Dietary Substitutions
For the past 12+ years, I owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten-free, vegan, keto, low-sugar, etc. These are proven tips I use to convert conventional recipes into delicious, specialty baked goods. Read more about it here.
TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE:
- My number one tip is to let the batter rest as hydrating gluten-free flour will help eliminate grittiness. Even letting the batter sit 15 minutes will yield a light and tender baked good. You can let batter sit in the fridge overnight, and up to 3 days.
- I recommend using a high-quality brand such as King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons additional buttermilk to help hydrate the flour.
- It is best to bake gluten-free baked goods low and slow, so that you don’t burn them. Reduce the oven temperature by at least 25° from the directions.
- Gluten-free baked goods do not have the same shelf-life as conventional baked goods. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days, refrigerate 3-5 days, or seal in plastic and place in freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. If frozen, allow to come to room temperature before opening the container.
TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE:
- Swap out the butter with vegan butter. Both Violife Plant Butter OR Country Crock Olive Oil Sticks are good choices because they have a subtle flavor. Also choose an unsalted version as many vegan butters are too salty.
- To replace the egg, place 1 tsp. of baking soda into your baked good and pour 1 T. white vinegar on top of the baking soda.
- Use dairy-free chocolate chips Nestle plant based chips.
- Swap out the dairy and use unsweetened oat or almond milk. Be sure to use unsweetened because it can alter the sweetness of your baked good.
Storage
- Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days.
- Seal in in freezer safe container for up to 6 months. To thaw frozen bread, allow to come to room temperature before opening the container.
For more BREAD recipes
Irish Soda Bread with Currants
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ c. unbleached flour
- ⅔ c. sugar
- 1 T. Instant ClearJel or Cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 ¼ c. buttermilk
- ¼ c. unsalted butter slightly melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 T. orange zest optional
- ¼ c. Whisky drain after soaking
- ¾ c. currants or 1 c. raisins soak in Whisky
- 1 tsp. course sanding sugar for the top
Instructions
PREP
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Pour Irish Whiskey into liquid measuring cup and add raisins or currants. Set aside.
- Whisk together dry ingredients and mix and set aside.
MAKE BATTER
- Use the bowl with the dry ingredients OR a stand mixer.
- Add liquid ingredients, slightly melted butter, eggs, buttermilk into the dry ingredients. Zest the orange right into the batter and mix until just combined.
- Drain currants, reserve whiskey if any is left and add to bread mixture.
- Toss currants into a bit of flour and gently fold into the dough by hand.
- Sprinkle parchment paper with a little bit of flour.
- Pour out batter onto the parchment paper. Move batter around to form dough into round loaf (the batter will be sticky). This is more of a quickbread type of bread so no kneading is required.
- Place the parchment paper with the loaf on it directly into a low dutch oven. Cut a cross on the top with a sharp or serrated knife.
BAKE
- Sprinkle top of bread with white course sanding sugar.
- Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.
- Lower oven to 350° and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes.
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @vintagebakedmodern on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagebakedmodern
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