35+ Easy Sides To Serve With Shepherd’s Pie: Irish Soda Bread

Sweet Irish Soda Bread recipe has a golden, crunchy, sweet crust with a moist, buttermilk interior, and tangy cranberries dotted throughout. If you are looking for what to serve with shepherd's pie or cottage pie, make this comforting and easy side dish!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

4 cups (544 g) all purpose flour or gluten-free flour, (I recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour)
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (1 tsp.) baking soda
1 teaspoon (1 tsp.) baking powder
¼ teaspoon (0.25 tsp.) salt
⅓ cup (75.67 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1⅓ cup (320 g) buttermilk
1 (1) egg
¾ cup (90.91 g) dried cranberries, see recipe notes for substitutions

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,, 1⅓ cup 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 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. 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.
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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

Pour 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup.
Add milk until you have 1 1/3 cup total liquid.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes, stir, and then use.

More baking tips and 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.

Nutrition