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!!
has anyone tried this recipe using gluten free flour and lactose free milk?
Hi Finn, it wont work as written sorry! N x
I used oat flour instead of normal wheat flour. I used too much buttermilk which resulted in a batter-like mixture rather than a dough. Nevertheless, I poured it into a tin and baked as per the recipe. This resulted in a wonderfully soft tasty load. The crust is also soft. Thanks for the recipe
That’s great to hear Sam!! N x
I made this and it turned out great….so easy!
How much sugar do you recommend for a little sweeter taste and then do you have to add more liquid?
I haven’t tried to be honest Lynn, I would think it would be ok with a tablespoon or two of sugar. N x
Hi Nagi, I’ve been wanting to make an Irish Soda bread for a while. Our stores are running out of flour and yeast! Can I use ONLY wholewheat flour?
Hi Rochelle, I need to test this sorry – I feel it wont rise as much and will require more liquid. N x
Hi Nagi,
How much rosemary should I add?
What about olives?
Hi Yoided, I haven’t tried with these though, I would just eyeball it and add 1 tbls fresh rosemary and 1/4 cup olives 🙂 N x
Nagi, Thank you — I made this bread yesterday, and it’s wonderful. Your clear, thorough guidance helped make things go smoothly. And the bread is delicious.
Can I put the dough in bread pan and make a regular bread loaf for sandwich? In that case does the temperature change ?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Krupa, I haven’t tried with this one sorry! N x
This bread was so easy to make, i just noticed that there were lots of flour spots over the bread? is that a normal thing or should i have kneaded it more?
Put it in the oven now. Perfect pandemic recipe 🙂
Yes 100%!! N x
Made this bread last night with the beef stew dinner I prepared and it was a hit with the while family! So delicious and turned out perfect! I didn’t have buttermilk but just followed the substitute instructions and it turned out great! Yeast has been so hard to find and this recipe is amazing. So quick and easy to make. Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe that I will be sure to make time and time again. Crunchy outside, soft and flavourful inside! I couldn’t wait for it to cool down. The butter melted on it and it was super delicious!
Perfect Katrina!! N x
Can this be baked in a dutch oven?
Hi Sam, did you end up baking this in a Dutch oven? How did it go? Did it shorten the cooking time?
Yes 100% Sam! N x
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Thanks so much Ghulam! N x
I love the look of this so I’m going to give it a go. However, I only have plain flour, so how much do I use in total? Is it up to 300g or do I need more as I’m not using whole meal flour?
Hi Kirstee, you’re just going to need the total amount of flour – 3 3/4 cups or 565g. Enjoy! N x
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never bread before but in these abnormal times, one needs to be self-sufficient. And I’m please to say it turned out quite good.
That’s awesome Aruna! N x
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never bread before but in these abnormal times, one needs to be self-sufficient. And I’m please to say it was not bad. We’ve also tried the flatbread! Both recipes are very easy to follow
My son and I loved the way the bread turned out. I used about 300 grams of atta (we are in India) and the remaining 265 grams white flour. I used milk, added lemon juice and two tbsp of curd (yoghurt). It came out perfect!
This bread is delicious, and will be our staple throughout the quarantine! I thought it wouldn’t turn out, because it was very sticky when I put it in the oven. It came out perfectly, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and very flavorful! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe!!
I’m so glad you gave it a shot Donna, that’s great to hear! N x
I only have skim milk. Any suggestions on how to make buttermilk using skim milk?
Hi Sharon, sorry you need full fat milk to make buttermilk – N x
hi, i have used semi skimmed milk plus lemon, its worked ok, not bad, my mum is happy.!
I made the buttermilk substitute with skim milk and it came out fine. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!!!
Hi Nagi – Thanks for this receipe. Am a baking newbie – and tried this bread today. I added some spices – cumin/anise / crushed black pepper instead of nuts. Bread turned out well, had a sodaish taste – perhaps added a pinch of extra soda perhaps. Otherwise worked well – good start for me and great instructions from you for a novice.
Greetings from Texas. This was my first time making this type of bread. The end result turned out ok, but was very dark inside and out. It turned out a little darker than wheat bread and I only used all-purpose flour. I would like to try it again and wanted to get your thoughts on what might have gone wrong. Thanks