Last updated on February 19th, 2025
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This Irish Soda Bread has a scone-like texture, modern twist of Irish whiskey-soaked currants and orange zest for added zing, It makes for a festive addition to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration or on a Spring breakfast table.
Did you know? Traditionally, Irish Soda Bread is marked with a cross on the top to offer a blessing of thanks. However, the real reason is that it allows the heat to reach the center of the loaf for even baking.
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. For Sundays, raisins were added and the loaf was iced.”
- omitted the caraway seeds
- added orange zest
- added currants instead of raisins for their dainty size and tangy sweetness
- soaked the currants in Jameson Whiskey for a boost of flavor and adding to the spirit of 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, not to be mistaken as with red or white currants that are small grape-like berries grown on shrubs. If you don’t have currants on hand, smaller type raisins such as Thompson variety are fine.
whisky: Irish Whisky is a triple-distilled alcoholic spirit made from malted and un-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.
Equipment
Recommended tools: (affiliate links)
Looking for more Spring Baking recipes?
Irish Soda Bread with Currants
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ c. unbleached flour
- ⅔ c. sugar
- 1 T. baking powder
- 1 T. Instant ClearJel
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 ⅓ c. buttermilk
- ¼ c. unsalted butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 T. orange zest (optional)
- ½ c. Whisky
- 1 c. currants or raisins (1 1/2 c.) soak in Whisky
DECORATION
- 1 T. cream
- 1 tsp. course sanding sugar
Instructions
PREP
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Line iron skillet or dutch oven with parchment paper.
- Pour Irish Whiskey into liquid measuring cup and add raisins or currants. Set aside.
MAKE BATTER
- Place dry ingredients into mixer and mix until just combined.
- Add butter, eggs, buttermilk, and orange zest 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.
- In the mixing bowl, move batter around to form dough into round loaf (the batter will be sticky).
- Place dough into the pan. Cut a cross on the top with a sharp or serrated knife.
BAKE
- Using a pastry brush, lightly coat with heavy cream. Sprinkle top 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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