It’s not St. Patrick’s Day without some Irish soda bread! This is a quick and easy recipe that tastes delicious, and you can make it with ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. In this video I share the three things you need to know about making an authentic Irish soda bread and includes step-by-step instructions for beginners.

Irish Soda Bread

An easy addition to any St. Patrick's Day meal. Or even just a great snack.

Ingredients

4 cups of flour
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup softened butter (one stick)
1 egg
¼ cup butter (melted)
¼ cup buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to make sure it is well combined.
Add in the wet ingredients: buttermilk, butter, egg and use a hand mixer to help combine everything.
Turn out the dough on a floured surface and kneed it for about 10 minutes. Dust it with flour as needed. It's done when it is about the consistency of Playdough.
Form dough into a loaf and put it on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper is going to be important to keep the bottom of the bread from overcooking.
Cut a large X into the top of the dough. This is very important to help the dough cook through.
Add the dough to the oven for 15 minutes.
While the bread is cooking, make the glaze by melting butter (microwave or stovetop) over a low flame and let it rest for a few minutes. Continue to mix it on the stovetop to keep it from burning.
Add the buttermilk to the butter and mix well. Continue to mix occasionally.
When the 15 minutes are done, take the bread out of the oven and brush the glaze over the top of it. Then put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
When that 15 minutes is done, take the bread out of the oven and glaze it again. Then put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
When that 15 minutes are up, use a toothpick and check the middle of your bread. If it comes out clean it is done. If it doesn't, glaze it again and put it back in for a final 10 minutes.
When done, let the bread rest for 20 minutes. Then serve with butter, jam or with a stew or soup.