By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 10
326 cal · 65 min
Irish Soda Bread
Recipe GLPR3005b09a4a8f5a
A traditional Irish quick bread with a tender crumb and subtle sweetness from raisins. This rustic loaf is made with buttermilk and baking soda instead of yeast, creating a distinctive dense yet moist texture. Perfect served warm with butter or alongside soups and stews.
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Ingredients
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a round baking dish or baking sheet.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda until evenly combined.
Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the softened butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with small pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Fold the raisins into the flour mixture, distributing them evenly throughout.
In a small bowl, whisk together the beaten egg and buttermilk until combined.
Pour the egg and buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or hands just until a shaggy dough forms; do not overmix, as this will toughen the bread.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish and gently shape it into a round loaf about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a sharp knife, score a shallow cross on the top of the loaf.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Comments
All ingredients are stocked at every major Charlotte chain—flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, butter, raisins, egg, and buttermilk are pantry staples—so no special trips required. At roughly $0.35 to $0.45 per serving, this is genuinely cheap; butter and buttermilk are the main costs, and both are easy finds at ALDI or Walmart. The stated 65 minutes is honest: 10 minutes mixing, 50 minutes baking, minimal fussing, and the bread holds well for days, making it ideal for a weeknight that feeds a family. Irish soda bread is a minor regional stretch for North Carolina, but it's a no-fuss classic that rewards a straightforward baker and costs almost nothing.
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