An Irish soda bread recipe for St Bridget’s Day, Imbolc (01 February) (2024)

FAQs

What is traditionally served with Irish soda bread? ›

The thick and hearty nature of Irish soda bread helps it pair very well with meaty stews (especially Irish stew). You can use it to soak up the juices as you eat or as a vehicle for the meat and vegetables. Traditionally, Irish soda bread is served with a slow-simmered beef and barley stew.

Traditionally marked with a cross on the top, soda bread loaves got their signature appearance for superstitious reasons. Families believed if they cut a cross on the top of the bread that it would ward off evil and protect the household.

Tightly wrap your leftover bread and place it in an airtight container. There's no need to refrigerate. As for how long soda bread lasts: Irish soda bread tends to dry out faster than other breads. The bread will be good for 3-4 days or up to three months if frozen.

The Southern Irish regions bake their loaves in a classic round fashion and cut a cross on top of the bread. This was done for superstitious reasons, as families believed a cross on top of the bread would let the fairies out or ward off evil and protect the household.

Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like while Irish brown bread is more savory with a tender interior.

Soda bread dries out quickly so it really is only good for a day or two. It is best eaten freshly baked and warm or toasted.

In Ulster, the wholemeal variety is usually known as wheaten bread and is normally sweetened, while the term "soda bread" is restricted to the white savoury form. In the southern provinces of Ireland, the wholemeal variety is usually known as brown bread and is almost identical to the Ulster wheaten.

Serving the Irish Soda Bread

The thick and cakey texture of the bread and warm temperature brings out its hearty flavors. If you can't have it fresh from the over at least have it toasted. Irish soda bread is best served with butter and has its creaminess melt into the slice.

The main difference between sourdough bread and soda bread is in its leavening agent – sourdough bread rises due to the gasses released from yeast and bacteria fermentation, while soda bread rises from the gasses produced during the chemical interaction between baking soda and acids in the dough.

How to Store. This delicious Traditional Irish Soda Bread is best stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, place it in an airtight bag, and freeze them for up to 1 month.

How do you know when Irish soda bread is done baking? ›

Cover and bake until well risen and golden, 45 minutes. Remove lid and continue baking until chestnut brown, with an internal temperature of 210°F (99°C), 12 to 15 minutes longer.

The most traditional doneness test calls for thumping the hot bread in the center to hear if it's hollow-sounding. A more foolproof indication is temperature; the loaf will register 200°F to 205°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted in the center of the bread.

Guinness. Guinness is served 819% more often on St. Patrick's Day than any other day of the year. The Irish dry stout was originated at St James's Gate in Dublin in 1759.

We've stuck with some classic St. Patrick's Day alcohols and flavors, like Baileys Irish Cream, Irish whiskey, and plenty of mint. We've even nailed down the best way to make a homemade Irish cream liqueur you'll absolutely want to keep on hand!

Butter. The traditional way of serving your Irish soda bread is serving the loaf while it's warm with butter. Spread a thick layer of your butter on the slice and revel on the hearty flavor exploding in your mouth. If you think that butter is boring, it's not.

My grandmother's Irish soda bread contains some sugar, but it's not overly sweet. It's a wonderful companion for savory dinners like hearty stew or you can serve it with butter, jam, and/or cheese.

In Ireland, soda bread would be eaten at breakfast with tea, at lunch with cold meat or cheese, or at dinner with soup or stew or other main dishes. I think it's especially delicious with Dublin coddle or minestrone soup (totally not Irish, but still very delicious when paired with this filling, wonderful bread.

Looking at toast toppings, nearly 80% of respondents would go for the classic butter option, with jam coming in at 38%, followed by marmalade at 30%.