Foolproof Irish Soda Bread

Name: Foolproof Irish Soda Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 1⅓ cups whole milk; ⅓ cup apple-cider vinegar; 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; 2½ teaspoons coarse salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; 1 cup unprocessed wheat bran; ¼ cup caraway seeds; 1 cup raisins; Salted butter, preferably Irish, for serving

Recipe GLPRcc6185fcdb2cff

Irish

Bread

60 min

301 cal

Servings: 10

Oven

SNAP eligible

A hearty, rustic Irish soda bread made with whole wheat bran, caraway seeds, and plump raisins. This foolproof loaf requires no yeast—just a simple mixture of acidulated milk and pantry staples combine to create a dense, nourishing crumb. Perfect sliced and buttered while still warm.

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Ingredients

1⅓ cups whole milk

⅓ cup apple-cider vinegar

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2½ teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup unprocessed wheat bran

¼ cup caraway seeds

1 cup raisins

Salted butter, preferably Irish, for serving

Directions

Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly dust it with flour.
Pour the whole milk into a liquid measuring cup and add the apple-cider vinegar. Stir gently and let sit for 2–3 minutes to curdle and create a buttermilk-like mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, wheat bran, coarse salt, baking powder, and baking soda until evenly combined.
Add the cold unsalted butter pieces to the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Stir the caraway seeds and raisins into the flour mixture.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the curdled milk mixture. Using a wooden spoon or your hand, gently fold and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix; the dough should come together loosely.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a round loaf approximately 7–8 inches in diameter and about 2 inches thick.
Transfer the shaped loaf to the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, score an X across the top of the loaf, cutting about ¼ inch deep.
Place in the preheated 450°F oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature with salted butter.

Comments

Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff4

This recipe is ingredient-simple and widely available at any Charlotte grocer—flour, baking powder, baking soda, butter, milk, vinegar, raisins, and caraway seeds are standard stock at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Walmart, and ALDI. Cost per serving runs under $0.60, driven mainly by butter and flour. The stated 60 minutes is honest if you're a practiced baker, but an inexperienced cook should add 15 minutes for kneading and shaping the dough properly. The loaf is a solid weeknight side or weekend breakfast that reheats well wrapped in foil, making it practical for leftovers—a real advantage for a bread that doesn't dry out quickly if stored correctly.