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Traditional Irish Breads

The traditional bread of Ireland is soda bread. Soda bread can be made with white or whole wheat flour.

Irish soda bread

Early Irish cooks bypassed yeast and used "bread soda" or "baking soda" because Irish flour was too soft to make yeast bread. The bread was cooked on a griddle set over the fire or in a bastable, which is a type of Dutch oven. In many parts of Ireland, soda bread is still shaped and baked as a round loaf with a cross marked on top.

Try one of these recipes or submit your own recipe.

Basic Brown Soda Bread 3/8/09 blog

Irish Barm Brack

Irish Bread

Irish Brown Bread

Irish Freckle Bread 3/15/09 blog

Irish Raisin Scones

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Irish Soda Bread with caraway seeds

Potato Bread

Soda Bread Recipe

Wheaten Bread

Make your own buttermilk plant 3/7/09 blog

What is Soda Bread?

Soda bread is a type of quick bread in which baking soda has been substituted for yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other ingredients can be added such as raisins or various forms of nuts.

Tip: Soda bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for two to three days; it is best served warm or toasted.

Make Your Own Buttermilk Plant

Buttermilk is an essential ingredient in traditional soda breads. It can be cultured very easily using a buttermilk plant. Here is a recipe to make a buttermilk plant for use in Irish Soda Breads and other recipes that call for buttermilk.