Whiskey-soaked raisins dot this classic Irish soda bread. Enjoy it warm with a schmear of salted Irish butter — there’s really no better way.
In a perfect world, we would all have the time and energy to make beautiful loaves of sourdough every week, letting them rise beneath antique linens in wooden bowls on our countertops. But unfortunately, most of us lack the requisite twelve to eighteen spare hours to make this happen.
Does that mean we don’t deserve hot, fresh bread? Absolutely not. We deserve freshly baked bread, and we deserve it regularly, preferably with a swipe of perfectly softened butter, a cup of coffee, and a few uninterrupted minutes to sit.
Irish soda bread is the perfect bread for such use. Because it requires only baking soda for leavening (hence the name), it takes far less time to make than sourdoughs or yeasted breads. In fact, you can have a loaf of soda bread on your table an hour from now. A warm slice sounds pretty good right about now, no?
What you’ll need to make this Irish soda bread:
Soda bread requires just a few basic ingredients, but this recipe takes the simple loaf up a notch with a few special additions. To make this version, you’ll need:
- Buttermilk. If you don’t have any, you can make your own! Just combine regular milk with a few tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice, then stir and set it aside for a few minutes to curdle.
- Butter, for flavor and browning. While I usually use unsalted butter in baking, I love to use salted Irish butter here.
- Flour, salt, and sugar. I use granulated sugar in the loaf and a sprinkle of coarse turbinado sugar on top for sparkle and crunch. If you don’t have turbinado sugar, feel free to skip it or sprinkle with a bit of regular sugar instead.
- Baking soda! Perhaps the most important ingredient, this is what gives the bread its no-yeast rise.
- Raisins and Irish whiskey. I know raisins can be a divisive ingredient, but I consider them non-negotiable here. I soak them in whiskey for a few reasons: it softens them, makes them plumper and juicier, and gives a little boozy bite. What’s not to love?
The one downside of Irish soda bread is that it tends to go stale quickly. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem, though, since it usually disappears before staleness becomes an issue. If you expect to eat it within a few days, wrap it in plastic wrap and foil. It should keep on the counter for 2-3 days before it starts to dry out.
Or, if you’d like to keep it for longer, slice it and store in a freezer bag. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to a month. I recommend brushing frozen slices with a little bit of water before reheating in the oven. They’ll be good as new!
More Irish-inspired recipes:
Guinness & Cheddar Shepherd’s Pie
Grandma Foley’s Irish Soda Bread
Whiskey-soaked raisins dot this classic Irish soda bread. Enjoy it warm with a schmear of salted Irish butter — there’s really no better way.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup raisins (I use golden raisins)
- ½ cup Irish whiskey
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus up to ½ cup more if needed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk*
- 2 large eggs
- Turbinado sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large cast-iron skillet or baking sheet and set aside.
- Combine the raisins and whiskey in a small bowl and set aside to soak.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour (start with 3 cups), granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Create a well in the center of the mixture.
- Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons of butter in a measuring cup, then pour them into the well in the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix the flour gradually into the wet ingredients until the mixture is too stiff to stir.
- By this time, the raisins should have absorbed most of the whiskey. Drain off any excess, then add the raisins to the dough.
- Using lightly floured hands, finish combining the dough until the raisins are evenly distributed throughout and no dry flour patches remain. The dough should be a bit sticky, but if it’s too wet, add up to ½ cup more flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape into a round loaf. Don’t worry if it looks a little shaggy; you want it to just come together, so don’t overwork it.
- Transfer the loaf to the skillet or baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, score the top of the loaf with a large X shape, about ½ inch deep. This helps the bread cook evenly all the way through.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter all over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle the loaf with turbinado sugar, if desired.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bread is golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. You can check for doneness by inserting a butter knife into the center of the loaf; if it comes out clean, the loaf is done.
- Allow the loaf to cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Or, if you’re like me, slice into it while it’s still a little warm and serve it topped with a schmear of salted butter. So, so good.
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