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Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipes

(and Farls-see bottom of text)

Above photo is of the Webmaster’s Mother with her Granny in early 1930s Nenagh.  Granny was born in 1845 and my mother learned to bake soda bread in a hearth within a home built around 1830. Granny’s baking genes have passed on down the generations. 

All recipes for traditional soda bread contain flour, baking soda, sour milk (buttermilk) and salt.  That's it!!!

News: My book on soda bread from a historic point of view is in process and hopefully will be released in 2024. To be notified of its release, send an email to SodaBreadSociety@Gmail.com

This was a daily bread that didn't keep long and had to be baked every few days.  It was not a festive "cake" and did not contain whisky, candied fruit, raisins (add raisins and it becomes "spotted dog" not to be confused with the pudding made with suet of the same name), or any other ingredient. In parts of Ulster they add caraway seeds which seems to be an influence from the Scots who settled there. It is then known as “Seedy Cake.”

Currant Bread, also known as Sultana Bread, Fruit Soda was made in the 19th century by adding about 2 ounces of Sultanas or currants to the soda bread recipe. It was made only on Christmas, Easter, and very special occasions. It was not an “optional” ingredient in the soda bread made daily or weekly unless you were wealthy. Ireland was a poor country up until the latter half of the 20th century. I recall in the 1950s Ireland getting an orange in my stocking from Father Christmas and being delighted with the treat. And when my grandmother made Tea Bread it was also a treat.

See the Society’s YouTube Channel for: How Raisins got into Irish Soda Bread

Back in the day the words “cake”, “bread”, and “loaf” could be interchanged depending on what part of the country you lived in. Today modern sweet cakes prevail throughout Ireland and control the term “cake.” And note that the word “corn” did not mean the same thing as it does in America. Corn meant grain (wheat, barley, rye, etc). American corn imported during the Famine years was called yellow meal or Indian meal and was the main part of the diet for those who could get it.

There are recipes for those types of cakes (fancy at the time) but they are not the traditional soda bread eaten by the Irish daily since the mid 19th century. We honor them by making Traditional Soda Bread. Pretending that they ate fruity desserts every day is to ignore history.

As an added note; In 1946 the Irish school system adopted the cookbook “All In The Cooking” which presented the basic soda bread recipe found previous to the publication and taught to thousands of Home economics students through the 1970s. There is no question that Soda Bread contains only 4 ingredients.

Here are a few basic recipes.  Note that measurements below are in American standards. (An Irish teaspoon is not the same as an American teaspoon measurement. In “All in the Cooking” an American level teaspoon is called “1/2 a teaspoon” in Ireland. Knowing this can make a difference when duplicating an Irish Recipe in America.

Note for New Bakers: a fluid cup contains 8 ounces of liquid.  A dry ingredient cup of flour contains around 4.25 ounces by weight. If sifted, 4.0 ounces. Don't use a liquid measuring cup for dry ingredients.  Tsp means Teaspoon. The following 4 measurements are from Bob’s Old Red Mill. A similar list is on King Arthur’s site.

• 1 cup all purpose flour = 125 grams (4 1/2 ounces)

• 1 cup sifted all purpose flour = 115 grams (4 ounces)

• 1 cup cake flour = 115 grams (4 ounces)

• 1 cup sifted cake flour = 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces)

Cake flour is the softest flour, followed by Pastry flour, and then All-Purpose. Use what you have, but stick to the 4 ingredients if you want to get as close to what your Irish ancestors made and not the latest “what can I add to the dough to stand out on YouTube” bakers who add Apples, yogurt, jalapenos, and who knows what. :-)

Of course our great grandmothers just grabbed a handful of this and a pinch of that to make their bread.  We modern bakers need help since we don't do it every day.

The best flour to use is "soft wheat" which is called "pastry flour" or "cake flour" today in the US.  If you want to try using Irish flour, may I suggest Odlums. However, Bob Old Red Mill and King Arthur have pastry flours that are equivalent to products labeled “Flour for Irish Soda Bread.” Shop around for the best deal or Shipping prices will kill you. See if your local grocery will stock them. Here is a look at Bob’s Big Red Pastry Flour pkgs (not an advertisement)

In 1845, about the time the Famine started, William Odlum opened a flour mill in Portlaoise and his descendants expanded the business over the years until 1988 when it was purchased by a corporation that continues production today.  They produce not only the white and wheat flours, but for the modern Irish family, a soda bread mix flour and brown bread mix flour that only needs water added to create a soda bread dough. Note that they import a lot of wheat from other countries in Europe for their products. Again, shop around.

The latter just-add-water mixes are similar to what I create using Saco Cultured buttermilk, flour, baking soda, and salt to create my own "add water" mix. Powdered buttermilk is also sold by Bob’s Old Red Mill and King Arthur.

Traditional Soda Bread

White Soda Bread (reminder: 4oz by weight is a dry "cup")

• 4 cups (16 oz) of white flour, (Soft wheat, if you can find it. i.e. Pastry Flour, not Bread or Self-Rising)

• 1 Teaspoon baking soda,

• 1 Teaspoon salt,

• 14 oz of buttermilk

 Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a cake pan.

In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.

Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough.  Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)

Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.

Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the Bastible pot).  Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped to show it is done.

Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.

Traditional Brown Bread.

Brown Bread  (reminder: 4oz by weight is a dry sifted "cup" of flour)

3 cups (12 oz) of wheat flour, (Soft wheat, if you can find it. i.e. Pastry Flour, not Bread or Self-Rising)

1 cup (4 oz) of white flour (do not use self-rising as it already contains baking powder and salt)

14 ounces of buttermilk (pour in a bit at a time until the dough is moist), add a little more, if necessary

1 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.

Method:

I use a cast iron Dutch oven similar to what was used during the 19th century, but here is an easier way using 9“ cake pans.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a cake pan.  In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients. .

Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough.  Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)

Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.

Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot).  Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped to show it is done.

Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.

Let cool and you are ready to have a buttered slice with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

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FARLS Recipes

Note: The word “Farl” means a fourth, so Potato Farls in the North of Ireland are the same as “Fadge” or Potato Cakes in the South. Old description of baking use Farl to say cut into fourths. So “Farls” here means cutting the dough into fourths.

In Ulster the same ingredients for soda bread are used but the dough is divided into quarters and cooked on a grill  (I remember my grandmother doing that once in awhile in Tipperary in the 1950s where it isn't common).  The following are shared by permission from members of the Facebook page.

Thanks to Margaret for sharing this recipe with us.

Here is the recipe that makes soda bread- as my grandmother and great-grandmother made it  - and as my children and grand-children (as well as myself) make it today.  It hasn't changed at all - except we use a stove instead of an open hearth for cooking.  My family is from Crossgar and Hillsborough in County Down.
 

• Heat a 9 inch iron skillet over low flame on the stove.  Lightly dust with flour.

• Measure 2 cups sifted flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt.

• Make a well in the above and add 1 cup of buttermilk. Thoroughly mix until dough leaves side of bowl.

• Flour a bread board - put dough on board (sprinkle with a little extra flour - and gently knead 3 or 4 times.

• Pat dough into a circle the size of the skillet.  Cut into farls (fourths) and place on skillet.  

• Cook about 10 minutes on each side.

Wrap bread in a tea towel when it is done.  This absorbs the baking soda taste and keeps the bread fresh.  Eat that day or fry in bacon fat the next morning as part of an Ulster fry.

You can also use 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour.
 
Notice:  no whiskey - no eggs - no cream - nor currants or raisins.  This is a basic bread to be served daily, not a dessert.
 
Dessert breads are like scones or bannocks.
 
Love the site!  
 
Margaret 
Evanston, IL

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Another visitor, Stan Russell from County Down who has been making Farls for many years (He's 75) added  a note that Farls also need  the step known as "Harning" (Hardening) which is setting them up on edge on the griddle leaning against each other for about 10 minutes so that the edges get finished off. 

Stan says he uses an electric griddle these days and it works ok for him.  He also adds "When I make wheaten today, due to the poor whole wheat flour here, I usually throw in a bit of wheat bran, and I find this makes it taste a wee bit more like it should."

Stan Russell, now living in Canada

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Theodora Fitzgibbon was a cooking expert from the 1950s and published a number of cook books in her time.  Here is a recipe from her for "griddle bread".  Cut it into quarters and you have "Farls."   I remember my grandmother making this griddle bread in the late 1950s.

Mix together 225 grams (8 oz) of whole meal flour, 50 g (2 oz) of white flour, a table spoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Add the buttermilk, as much as needed to obtain a fairly soft consistency. Roll onto a floured surface and shape into a round. Heat the griddle (or flat-bottomed pan) until a sprinkling of flour turns light golden; then put the cake on and cook for ten minutes each side over medium heat. Serve straight from the pan.

One of my favorite Irish cookbooks is by Monica Sheridan, the Julia Child of Irish Television, called "The Art of Irish Cooking" published in 1965.  It has been long out-of-print but if you get a chance to grab a copy, do so.  She talks about traditional cooking without any of the "spicing up" that we see in modern interpretations of Irish baking although she does experiment a bit with recipes.  Here is her recipe for "Brown Bread"

4 cups Stone Ground Whole wheat flour 

2 cups White flour 

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

 1 1/2 tsp Salt

2 cups Buttermilk  

Preparation:

Mix the whole wheat flour thoroughly with the white flour, salt, and baking soda. Make a well in the center and gradually mix in the liquid. Stir with a wooden spoon. You may need less, or more liquid - it depends on the absorbent quality of the flour.

The dough should be soft but manageable. Knead the dough into a ball in the mixing bowl with your floured hands. Put on a lightly floured baking sheet and with the palm of your hand flatten out in a circle 1 1/2 inches thick.

With a knife dipped in flour, make a cross through the center of the bread so that it will easily break into quarters when it is baked. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake a further 15 minutes. If the crust seems too hard, wrap the baked bread in a damp tea cloth. Leave the loaf standing upright until it is cool. The bread should not be cut until it has set - about 6 hours after it comes out of the oven.  (personally, I can't wait 6 hours to eat fresh soda bread

And for those who are gluten-intolerant and would like to join the celebration--

Gluten-Free Soda Bread

By Ed O'Dwyer on Face Book Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 8:47pm

Member Gilbert Schmitt posted this info about Gluten-Free Soda Bread some time back.

We often get the question so, here is what he has to say. (Thanks Gilbert)

Not the authentic recipe but this works for those that need gluten free.

I make gluten free soda bread most of the time since my wife needs that.

I have my own flour mix that's a lot cheaper that the commercial mixes.

Basic mix is:

2 parts garbanzo bean flour1 part potato starch 1 part tapioca flour. 

The bread mix is 1 part basic flour mix and 1 part buckwheat flour.

You'll have to add a gum or an egg or two to the mix to get it to hold together and add baking powder to get it to rise.

Not the authentic recipe but this works for those that need gluten free. I don't know if this works for yeast breads as my wife is also allergic to yeast and molds. BTW, 75% of the people in the US have gluten intolerance and most don't know it. Modern wheat (GMO) is the main culprit.

When I mix the gluten free soda bread I just turn it over on itself a few times in the bowl and don't kneed it.

Dump it out of the bowl into the baking kettle. It's always on the sticky side and three or four Tbs. of water around the bread dough will help with the cooking.

In my cast-iron Dutch oven it's 30 minutes with the lid on and 15 with the lid off. It's close to the same as regular soda bread.