Sweet Irish soda bread recipe has a golden, crunchy, sweet crust with a moist, buttermilk interior, and tangy cranberries dotted throughout. The best soda bread mixes up in minutes and includes easy adaptations to make with gluten-free flour as well. Tasting is believing to see why this bread earns all the rave reviews!

unsliced Irish soda bread in a black cast iron skillet
Don’t let this unassuming loaf of bread fool you. This is like no other soda bread you have ever experienced. It’s lightly sweetened with an extra moist interior and crisp outer shell.

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World’s Best Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Sweet soda bread was the only Irish bread recipe I ate growing up, so I assumed all versions were equally yummy. Turns out, not so much.

During college I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day the way any collegiate would – drinking lots of green beer. But I wasn’t a complete heathen. The night had to start with proper meal at an Irish pub.

When the server placed the soda bread on the table I happily dug in, forewarning my friends to get ready for the best, moist, goodness ever. I immediately spit it out, swearing to my friends I would make them a”real” Irish sweet bread so they could experience what bread heaven tastes like.

Turns out the recipe I grew up on wasn’t exactly from the old country. You see, Mom used a smidgen more sugar than traditional recipes.

Hence, why we counted down the days to the St. Patrick’s meal growing up. We couldn’t wait to get our hands on two of my mom’s most anticipated recipes – warm slices of bread dotted with raisins or dried cranberries and her Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage with apple juice.

Luckily both recipes are freaky-easy to prepare. While the corned beef simmers away, the soda bread is as easy as mix, dump and bake. There’s no yeast or kneading, just simple ingredients. The end result? Well, like these viral cheesy sausage muffins, it’s recipe you’ll have a hard time ignoring. 😎

Well this is the best soda bread recipe ever. It is now referred to as Shawna’s soda bread I have to make it for every gathering which is fine by me. Only problem is there are never any leftovers.

—Shawna

OMG!! This is the best Irish Soda Bread I have ever had or ever made! It is exactly what the title states. SWEET and extra MOIST. That’s what I typed into my search engine, “give me a recipe for soda bread that is SWEET and MOIST!” This is a keeper.

—Kathleen

Watch The Recipe

How Is This Recipe Different?

Soda bread typically has a hard crust with a tangy, moist interior. It’s considered a quick bread because baking soda is used to leaven the bread instead of yeast. Soured milk or buttermilk is used to activate the baking soda and gives a nice, moist crumb.

Sweet soda bread recipes, like this one, will taste differently than a traditional version. It’s extremely moist, more sweet tasting and cake-like. None of these things are a bad thing in my book!

Is it bread? Is it dessert? Just like an oatmeal mug “cake,” who cares. It’s legitimately amazing.

Let’s Make This Together!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

This recipe requires no yeast, kneading or baking expertise! Better yet, it may be made with traditional or gluten-free flour to make a yummy gluten-free version.

Whisk and well (no fancy equipment!)

Take a large mixing bowl and whisk together the dry ingredients and make a well in the center. You don’t even have to pull out a mixer for homemade soda bread. It’s easy peasy.

dry ingredients in a large glass bowl with a well in the center.

Pour in the liquid and stir.

In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, and egg. Make sure the butter has cooled down or it will re-solidify once it hits the milk and egg. Better yet? If you can think ahead, just make sure everything is at room temp.

dry ingredients in a bowl with liquid ingredients in the center.

Add some extra goodness.

You know what pairs perfectly with this nice sweet and moist crumb? Dried cranberries. Or raisins. Or sultans. Or orange zest. Now it’s time to stir in the pizzazz. The dough will be stiff so you may have to get your hands in there to work it all in.

the cranberries being mixed in.

Shape and pop it in the oven.

Shape the dough in a buttered cast iron pan, 9-inch round cake pan, or on a baking sheet. Slash the top with a sharp knife to make that signature cross and bake in a 350ºF oven for 1 hour. If you’re making this with gluten-free flour, you may need to bake slightly longer. More on that below!

the bread in a cast iron pan with a cross on top.
slices of bread with cranberries in the background and melting butter
Of course this makes a great accompaniment to a St. Patrick’s Day meal, but I make this easy quick bread year round. Serve it for breakfast, tea, or alongside soup and chili.

Bonus Baking Tips and Yummy Modifications

  • Instead of cranberries substitute raisins, dried cherries or leave the dried fruit out completely.
  • For an added hint of orange add 1 tablespoon orange zest with the wet ingredients.
  • Adjust the amount sugar for personal taste.
  • When baking gluten-free Irish soda bread, the baking time will increase by 5-10 minutes.
  • For an authentic add-in, substitute raisins and add 2 teaspoons caraway seeds.
sliced soda bread on a wooden cutting board, facing up
Our family has made this hundreds of times and we still can’t get enough. Better yet, it works equally as well using gluten-free flour so all can enjoy!

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unsliced Irish soda bread in a black cast iron skillet
4.63 stars (304 ratings)

Seriously Moist Sweet Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Sweet Irish Soda Bread recipe has a golden, crunchy, sweet crust with a moist, buttermilk interior, and tangy cranberries dotted throughout. The best soda bread mixes up in minutes and includes easy gluten-free adaptations!
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Ingredients
 

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease a cast iron skillet or 9-inch round pan with butter. (See recipe notes for other options.)
  • Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center by pushing the dry ingredients away from the center.
    4 cups all purpose flour or gluten-free flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
  • In a small bowl whisk together the melted and cooled butter, buttermilk, and egg.
    ⅓ cup unsalted butter, 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk, 1 egg
  • Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, pouring it into the well and stir to form a soft dough. The dough will be very thick and might need to be kneaded slightly to work in the flour. Add the cranberries. Mix or knead until no flour pockets remain.
    ¾ cup dried cranberries
  • Shape dough into a ball (use lightly wet fingers if dough is sticky) and transfer to the prepared pan. Use a sharp knife to make an "X" on top of the the ball.
  • Bake until set, about 50-60 minutes for all purpose flour, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes for gluten-free flour. Insert a knife or toothpick in the middle to make sure it's set. To prevent the bread from becoming overly brown, loosely tent foil over top for the last 10-15 minutes baking time. Baking times can be longer, depend on the size of pan you bake it in and if using gluten-free flour, which takes longer. 

Notes

Baking Pan Options
The easiest substitution for a cast iron skillet is a round cake pan. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and shape the dough into a ball in the middle. As the bread bakes, the dough will spread and fill out the pan.
A baking sheet may also be used. Simply shape the dough into ball in the middle of a greased baking sheet, or line with parchment paper. The dough will spread slightly, but it will still maintain its ball shape.
Some readers have also split the dough between two bread loaf pans. If diving the dough, the baking time will decrease. Start checking around 35 minutes baking time.
Substitution for Buttermilk
  1. Pour 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup.
  2. Add milk until you have 1 1/3 cup total liquid.
  3. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, stir, and then use.
Dried Cranberries
Instead of cranberries substitute raisins, dried cherries or leave the dried fruit out completely.
Freezing and Storing
Store leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature up to two days. Avoid refrigerating the bread because it will dry out.
To freeze, once the bread has cooled completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer bag.
Alternatively, cool it completely, slice, and then transfer to a freezer bag. This allows you to grab and thaw slices as needed.

 

 

Calories: 173kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 131mg, Potassium: 47mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 133IU, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 1mg
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