Irish Soda Bread with Caraway Seeds

My Great grandmother (also from Ireland) used a very similar recipe; this is the only other time that I have seen it calling for the 'X' on the top. However, we use melted butter/margarine (1 cube melted) instead of the sour cream and we scale the raisins down to approximately 3/4 to 1 cup; we dip the knife into the flour and then make our 'X'. We don't put seeds in ours. This was the first recipe that my cousins and I were taught to make when we were young girls, or 'wee ones' as our Grandmother called us. For some strange reason, the best bonnets (Great grandma said that they weren't loaves but "bonnets of bread") seemed to come from my mother's oven...an old Wedgewood. Now they come from my kitchen...I have an 'old Wedgewood' now.

This recipe is so delicious, I have made it twice in the last three weeks. Instead of 3 cups of raisins used 1 cup raisins, 1 cup dried cranberries and 1 cup chopped dried apricots. The most recent time, I substituted Splenda for the sugar without any real change in taste. I also divide it into 16 servings rather than 8. At that rate it's about 175 calories a slice and not bad for a mid-morning snack.

This bread is PHENOMENAL! I was a little nervous at its consistency as during the preparation phase, it doesn't resemble a typical bread loaf. It was more like very loose chocolate chip cookie dough, but that's ok -- that's the way it should be. This was delicious beyond words and is now a part of my permanent recipe collection.

This bread is PHENOMENAL! I was a little nervous at its consistency as during the preparation phase, it doesn't resemble a typical bread loaf. It was more like very loose chocolate chip cookie dough, but that's ok -- that's the way it should be. This was delicious beyond words and is now a part of my permanent recipe collection.

I tried all the Irish soda bread recipes I could find. This was by far the best -- not just easy, but beautiful, amazingly moist and flavorful. I've made it over and over at the requests of family and friends. Toasts beautifully too, and wonderful with marmalade.

As the daughter of an Irish immigrant I've had plenty of Irish bread in my lifetime. This recipe was easy and delicious. Good enough that I even made a loaf and sent it to my grandmother since she can't really cook anymore. I made a loaf last night too and have eaten 1/2 of it already. I did use only 2 cups of raisins (1/2 golden & 1/2 regular) and 1 tsp of caraway seeds. I don't care for caraway seeds but had to have some for authenticity.

1/2008 UPDATE: I'm still making this bread with constant raves from friends and family. I made French Toast with it on Sunday morning and my husband and I LOVED it! You need to let the slices sit in the batter a bit to soak it in. YUMMY. I made this with my corned beef and cabbage St Patty's Day meal. It tasted good. I used only 1 cup of raisins and it was enough for me but my boyfriend thought 2 would have been better. 3 cups would be way too much!! We both agreed the flour on top was yucky. I blew the excess off but you really don't need it. Next time I'll just brush the top with egg to give a rich color. I'll make again b/c it's yummy toasted w/ butter.

i used this for my first and only soda bread baking experience and it has gotten rave reviews the four subsequent times i've made it! it is absolutely beautiful and completely delectable. my irish boss says, "as good as my mom's." !*HIGH PRAISE*! my baking afficionado friend says, "give me your recipe. now." !*I AM THE ENVY OF MY PEERS*! DETAILS: i just eye-balled the raisin quotient (probably in the neighborhood of two cups, no need to quibble over the specific amount). i made it once without raisins and it was still spot-on, but not as popular. i substituted lowfat sour cream all four times and it remained uncompromised. orange marmalade is a nice compliment but not at all necessary.

This is an excellent recipe....I made it a bit "low fat" by using light sour cream and making buttermilk from skim milk and vinegar. I also reduced the amount of raisens to about 1 cup and it was perfect. I didn't even "knead" it in the bowl, just transferred the batter directly to the baking dish for shaping and baking. Everyone asked for the recipe. Excellent toasted in the morning!

Fast, easy, delicious. What more could you want? I made four loaves of this bread in less than an hour last St. Paddy's day, and have made it several times since. If you have any leftovers it makes great French toast or bread pudding. I did leave out the raisins because we don't care for them, and it was definitely sweet enough without them (you can pull back the sugar to 1/3 cup). I also made some loaves without the caraway. I love caraway but many people don't.

We needed soda bread for a corned beef and cabbage dinner at the local firehouse. This was the best. My 15 year-old daughter made 12 loaves of this, and each loaf came out wonderful! Because a 15 year-old made this, it had half the raisins and no caraway seeds. We fed over 100 people and everyone raved!

This recipe is simply delicious. I was asked to bake Irish Soda Bread for a family St. Patrick's dinner, and chose this recipe based on reviews and the fact that sour cream was one of the ingredients. When I started to mix it up, I realized that I didn't have any raisins, so I substituted dried cranberries. I used about 1 1/2 cups, which I thought was plenty. I also did not add the caraway seeds. I mixed the wet ingredients with the dry, using a spatula, in my KitchenAid stand mixer bowl. Then, using the mixer kneading hook, kneaded for only about 30 - 45 seconds. It was a very sticky dough. I just scraped it into my greased cast iron skillet and spread it out smooth. Before baking, I brushed on a little milk and sprinkled with sugar. It was done in exactly 65 minutes, and a beautiful golden brown. It is very moist, not at all dry and crumbly. Everyone loved it, and I was asked for the recipe. I'm going to make it again as soon as I buy some raisins.

Fantastic bread! My kids LOVED it toasted for breakfast and I love how well this recipe lends itself to versatility. I omitted the raisins and caraway (one of the kiddos doesn't like them) and added 1/2 tbsp each of cinnamon and vanilla extract. I also substituted plain yogurt for the sour cream as I didn't have any. Halved the recipe and baked in a metal 9x5 loaf pan for about 50 min. The center was a little gummy so next time I might bake it a little longer. I followed another reviewer's advice and let the dough sit for about 15 min to let the baking soda/powder "work" but then later read why that was a bad idea. I think this may be why the center of my loaf was gummy. I also threw some ice cubes onto the oven floor while it was baking for a nice, crispy crust. I think I will try making a savory loaf next...bye-bye store bought bread! P.S.- Another great tip is to buy powdered buttermilk (very inexpensive), add it to the dry ingredients and then add the appropriate amount of water to the liquid. You will always have buttermilk on hand!

I made this last week for a dinner party and it was a huge hit. Came up nice and high, rich and flavorful. I didn't have buttermilk so I used milk and vinegar, 1 cup milk to 1 tbls vinegar and I only had fat free sour cream. It was stil fabulous. making it again for ST Patty's day. Thanks PL.

Is it authentically Irish? Who cares? It's authentically delicious and very easy to make. I used currents instead of raisins because that's what I had, and baked it in a buttered cake pan lined on the bottom with parchment paper. Will I wait until next St. Patrick's Day to make this again? Heck, I'm not sure I can wait until next week!

This Irish Soda Bread beat out our family recipe that was used for decades. When I made this bread this past St. Patrick’s Day, everyone gravitated towards it and the loaf just disappeared. The crust is firm and flavorful, but not tough. This bread had a wonderful texture and taste. Note while reading the instructions though. The Cook Time at the beginning of the recipe states 50 minutes, then the instructions state to bake 65-75 minutes. I baked mine in a 9-inch cake pan and the bread fully baked in 50 minutes. There are many raisins in this loaf of bread. You could cut back by a cup and I think there would be enough through out the loaf. Enjoy this bread!

I love baking breads of all kinds, and this is one of the best ever! I tried this bread yesterday (St. Pat's Day) to accompany my traditional boiled dinner - fare that we grew up on in Massachusetts. Followed the recipe exactly as written, except that I used a couple extra T. of flour, since my eggs were X-large and made the batter too sticky. Used those lovely, extra plump raisins that Trader Joe's carries. I can't imagine making this bread without ALL of the raisins -- and ALL of the caraway! A delightful combination of flavors. Next time, I will try a springform pan, because the cooled bread didn't want to wriggle out of the cast-iron skillet. My husband is still raving about this bread after polishing off 4 big pieces for dinner and a bedtime snack. UPDATE 03/17/11: I brought an impressive-looking loaf of Irish Soda Bread to work this morning, and my co-workers loved it. I've had many requests for the recipe. I now make this bread in a 9-inch springform pan for about 60-65 minutes, and it's a cinch to get out of the pan (which I grease and flour first).

Great recipe, it was the 4th recipe I've tried for Irish Soda bread and it is by far the best. Though its traditional to use caraway seed I'm not a fan, so I left them out, and I only had 2 1/2 cups of rasins. The stickyness of the batter was concerning but I shouldn't have been as it cooked up great. After pouring, or should I say scooping the batter into my 9" cake pan, I floured my hands and patted it down slightly prior to cutting the cross in the middle. It was fantastic warm with butter and it held its own over the two days it lasted. It toasted up perfectly on the grill and even took to a warming in the microwave (10 sec @ 30% power) very nicely. This is a keeper!!!

I loved this bread. But whats more important my husband was crazy about it. I changed the rasins to 2 cups and boiled them in OJ until they plummed up good and I left out the caraway seeds. I also added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. I will make this bread again and often.

Wow this is delicious! I just made it today for St. Patrick's day! It makes a lot, the dough about doubles in size so don't worry about doubling unless you're having a big party. It is very dense as well. I would recommend adding about 2 cups of raisins instead of 3. I used about 1 & 3/4 cups and it came out perfect. I was skimming over the pictures first, and some looked over powered by raisins! Well enjoy! I would also recommend the Irish potato candy recipe from this site, i made them as well!

REALLY good recipe. Only change I made was using 2 cups of raisins instead of 3, but that's just a matter of personal preference. I love caraway seeds, but Mom wished I used less. Thanks for sharing, Ellen; I'll use this recipe often!

Wonderful Irish soda bread recipe. This is more like a cake than the super dense scone-like bread you might be used to. The caraway seeds while authentic are overwhelming to me and I will eliminate them next time. I also plumped the raisins before using. Put raisins in hot water for 5 minutes. I used only 2 cups, 1 cup golden and 1 cup regular raisins. Then strain and dry slightly before adding to the dry ingredients. I didn't have a skillet so I made it in a Calphalon 9" cake pan. It came out perfect. I made a second recipe and put it in 4 smaller baking dishes so I could give them to neighbors. (4 bake for 45 minutes) They baked nicely but the crust did not come out as beautifully in a ceramic dish as it did in the Calphalon.

Delicious! I made this tonight for the first time, along with corned beef and cabbage, and I am in love! I had never before even tasted Irish soda bread, and have been missing out. I have no idea if this recipe is consider authentic, but it is fantastic by any means. Before I put it in the oven, I brushed it with a mix of 1/4 melted butter and 1/4 cup buttermilk. I then glazed it 4 or 5 times while it was baking. It gave the bread a beautiful golden crust. I also omitted the raisins and caraway seeds, as I was looking for more of a basic bread. I will definitely be making this again!

This is the greatest recipe!! Nobody thought to write down my grandmother's recipe, but this is the closest I've made it to hers - I compared all the pictures. I made a few alterations (used one less egg), but I would def recommend it. Thank you for sharing...

Marvelous, totally delicious. I will make this over and over. The dough was very sticky, like a loose cookie dough, but the bread/cake is absolutely perfect. I made the recipe as stated and wouldn't change a thing.

A-MAZ-ING. Super easy, usually have most ingredients on hand (gotta remember to keep buttermilk in the fridge) and really tasty. Can't beat it for toasted breakfast bread although it is good as a side to a hearty soup or stew also. Here is how you deal with the sticky factor: scrape into your generously greased baking pan, spray entire top with cooking oil spray, lay a piece of plastic wrap over it and mold as needed. Remove plastic wrap, sprinkle with flour and make cut using a wetted sharp knife. Pop it in the oven. Return in an hour+ for mouthwatering goodness.

Loved this! So easy to make and turned out great. Definitely brush the top with buttermilk, but do not dust with flour. I omitted the caraway seeds as a personal preference and used 2 cups of raisins instead of 3. This recipe is a keeper for me.

This was wonderful and so easy - I couldn't believe how huge the loaf was! I'm going to try it again with dates and apricots and leave out the caraway (I think its an acquired taste).

I decided to try this recipe as I wanted a change from my usual one.Was surprised at how many ingredients there were compared to the one I normally make.Have to admit I have never heard of putting raisins in soda bread,here in Ireland I've never seen it with raisins.It turned out ok,but I think I'll stick to my old faithful recipe of flour,bicarb soda,caster sugar,salt and buttermilk.

Best Irish Soda Bread I have EVER had. Better than my family recipe, better than restaurant versions, and better than bakery versions. I don't add caraway and I add less raisins. Great for dinner with St. Paddy's day, but I make two loaves just so I can have a buttered slice every day with my cup of coffee in the morning.

we loved this bread. Just a slight hint of sweetness. I did not have any buttermilk and just used regular 1%. There were no complaints.

The best irish soda bread recipe I've tried. I substituted 1/2 the flour as pastry whole wheat, used 2 cups of raisins, used margarine on crust when hot instead of dusting with flour, and no caraway seeds. I believe 3 cups of raisins would be too much to serve it along with corned beef. This is a fine crumb cake like bread versus recipes with cut-in fat that have a more biscuit type texture. Recommend not adding more flour than recipe calls for. It will be too sticky to knead but just stir with spatula 10 to 12 times. I split the bread into two round loafs so that the bread would cook throughly before becoming too brown. I recommend cooking until a toothpick is clean or an internal temperature of 180 .

moist--flavorful yet not overly sweet--was very well liked by guests----I did modify slightly to reduce fat and sugar --I used 1/2 cup of lofat sour cream (not 1 cup whole fat sour cream) and only 1/4 cup sugar instead of 1/2 cup sugar--added 1/2 cup apple sauce---was super!

I was born and raised in Ireland and nobody ever put caraway seed in Irish Soda Bread minus this recipe good

Dietary ingredient changes: I used part soy milk instead of cow. I soured 1/2 cup digestible milk with 1 Tbsp of vinegar as I can't get buttermilk in Italy. I added the soured milk and mixed with the flour somewhat. Then I added the cup of soy milk as I had read you can sour it, but some complained that it made for a (too) strong taste the next day. Mine did not suffer from this. I used half white-half whole wheat, but I liked the white flour version only better that I made before. I only used 2.5 cups raisins, and it was chock full. I'm going to try a raisin-date mix and maybe some nuts too. Everything is better with nuts. This was excellent.

Yum! Only change I made was used self-rising flour, and put it into 2 loaf pans rather than a 9" round. I used golden raisins as it's our preference, and I sure am glad I didn't cut back on them.

Look no further for a great Irish Soda Bread recipe! This is the recipe I reach for each St Patty's season. It makes a moist and delicious bread. My family loves it toasted for breakfast. I make 2 smaller loaves rather than 1 large. Try it you won't be disappointed...... Promise.

Shhhh... Don't tell Nana! I couldn't find Nana's Irish Bread recipe, but we really want some. I found this recipe and.... Oh, uh... It's better than Nana's! Really! This is our go to recipe from now on.

Too sweet. I reduced the sugar to 1/3c as suggested. I also only used 2 cups raisins, since thats all I had. I used fat free sour cream and skim milk.

Yummo! Made two. Used only 2 cups raisins for each loaf. Had one 15 oz box and one little snack size, for the two. 1st one - when I put it in the pan it was really sticky. When baked was eaten when cooled off somewhat. (Still warm). Very moist. Everyone liked. 2nd one - Add more flour to make it less sticky but not too firm, when kneading. (Little bit of stick). This one was eaten the next day. I like this one better. Was very good. Outcome, delicious and very, very easy. Make sure you mix the dry well. I forgot to mix when I dumped the liquid. LOL. (Was measuring for two loaves). Makes a nice big loaf. Enjoy!!! And yes I sprinkled the flour on top. (No caraway's sorry don't like.)

Simple, delicious. A great recipe. Thanks!

Wow!!!!! Delicious. This was truly the best Irish soda bread recipe I have ever tried and will never use a different one EVER. I too was concerned with the consistancy but for no reason. I did change it just a little to lower the fat and calories. I used egg sustitute, low fat sour cream and made my own sour milk using skim milk and lemon juice and omitted the raisins(I don't like them in bread). It did nothing to lower the integrity of this recipe. I will be making this again for Easter brunch.

MY HUSBAND SAID 'THIS IS SO GOOD IT'S RIDICULOUS!! THEN HE ATE HALF OF IT!!! I ADDED CHOPPED WALNUTS & CHOPPED DRIED APRICOTS

I wish I could give this 10 stars. I've never made Irish Soda Bread before and I am glad I tried THIS recipe. It was absolutely delicious. I mixed it up in a snap and put in the oven. Too easy!! Everyone raved about it. I used all the caraway seeds called for and certainly was not too strong. Next time I might use a little more, gives it a nice flavour. I also only used two cups of raisins. If you want Irish Soda bread look no further - this is it!!!

I have been making soda bread for 50 years. This is by far the best recipe. To make a delicious Christmas bread, omit the caraway seeds, substitute 1 cup of glazed cherries, 1 cup of walnuts or pecans for two of the cups of raisins. Use 1 cup of currants/raisins. We like this bread better than Christmas Stollen, which is a sweeter bread. Be sure to allow all ingredients to be at room temperature before combining. This is a winner. I have adjusted the baking time downward to accommodate my high oven. Superb.

Sweet enough, but not too sweet. Moist and dense, not dry and brittle. There may be a bit too much raisins - I just reduced the amount. It was a very delicious soda bread.

I made this for the first time last year on St. Patty's day and forgot to save the recipe. I was SO RELIEVED that I was able to find it again! It was amazing and I was so worried I wouldn't be able to have the same delicious Irish soda bread this year. The other top rated Irish soda breads may be faster to make, but this is the most authentic and delicious tasting bread! I think I only did a cup and a half or 2 cups of rasisins, but I can't remember exactly. All I know is that I can't wait to make it again this year :)

This is wonderful! Will definetly make again.

Easiest, best tasting bread ever! I make various types of bread, but this was my first attempt at Irish Soda Bread. I omitted the caraway seeds because they were not in stock in my grocery store. Other than that, I followed this recipe to the letter, and I'm happy to report that it was an unqualified success! I plan to make several loaves of it for my neighborhood St Patrick's Day dinner this Saturday, and I expect that it will become a regular bread served in my home year-round. Thanks for sharing, Penguin Lady!

This was FANTASTIC!!! I served it for a presentation on Irish food and everyone loved it, plus my Irish professor kept complimenting me on how much better it was than any soda bread she had ever had!! I did not use carraway seeds, used extra raisins, and used fat free sour cream. The bread rose WONDERFULLY--it was huge. This truly was delicious--almost like a cake. Thanks so much for the great recipe!!

I've made this twice now and the first time I made it exactly as the recipe calls for, and it was Amazing!!!!! The second time I only had one cup of raisins and about half a cup sour cream, it was still really good, but better the first time.

Needs fewer raisins and caraway seeds. I used 2c raisins and half the amount of seeds and it was much better.

Just took this from the oven. It is wonderful. Not as dense as others I have tried - nice crunchy crust. The only thing I changed was i only used 2 cups of raisins as suggested by others. This was so very easy I will be making it again & again.

The best Irish Soda Bread ever! I tried baking it with 2 cups of raisins and that was delicious. Also baked it with 3 cups of raisins and I have to say it was even more delicious! (Make sure you use baking raisins - extra moist for baking). Used only 1/2 TB caraway seeds - for authenticity. I have fussy eaters and they loved it.

Very moist bread - tasty! I cut down on the raisins just a little to 2 1/4 cups, and it was plenty. For those who are not a fan of caraway seeds, at the full recipe amount of 1 Tbs the flavor was still very mild.

this was very good. I substituted currants for the raisins since hubby and I really don't like raisins. Other than that I followed the recipe to a T!

Tried over the weekend and it came out great. As other suggested, I also cut down on the sugar to 1/3 C and raisins to 1 C. In addition, I did an egg wash after 30 minutes to give it a shine plus I pre-heated the cast iron skillet which seems to provide a uniform temp on the bottom and the heated skillet seems to release the bread easily

Made this bread to go with Guiness Irish Beef stew. I split dough up so we had mini-breads and they came out great. I didn't make any changes and my wife + son agreed it didn't need any. Crust had a good crunch to it and inside soaked up the stew! I'll definitely use this one again...

I made it tonight without any caraway or raisins- and only half the sugar. I was plenty sweet, smelled like cornbread cooking, and turned out dense, very moist and crispy brown on the top. So very delicious. (I also sprinkled kosher salt, garlic powder and poppy seeds on top prior to baking). I think next time I'll make cinnamon raisin bread from this dough and technique.

I used about a half teaspoon of the caraway seeds and a cup of dried currents I can't imagine the full amount of either). Plenty of both for my taste, without losing the authenticity of the bread. I'd give it 5 stars but I changed the recipe.

I've made a few different recipes, this is the best

I just took two huge loaves out of the oven and couldn't wait more than 10 minutes before I had to butter up a slice and dig in. Perfection! I wouldn't change a thing.

I thought this was great. I only used 1 cup of raisins and I think I'll leave out the carroway seeds next time I make it. I'll definately make it again!

I followed this recipe exactly - right to the exact measurement shown here - and it didn't come out well at all. Way overdone on the outside, and didn't taste like Irish Soda Bread. Practically needed a chainsaw to cut it. This is the only time I've ever had a bread recipe go so wrong.

I made this to take to work for St. Patrick's Day. It was excellent. I used about half dried currants and half raisins instead of all raisins--but no other changes. It was devoured almost immediately, and one coworker said, "I could eat a whole loaf of this by myself!" I found it was perfectly baked at 60 minutes. Will definitely make this again. Also: baked it in my cast iron skillet--perfect!

My Irish mother in-law gave it two thumbs up! Everyone loved it.

I actually really like this. It was not the soda bread that I was expecting. It was denser, more moist, and sweeter than what I was looking for. Still, it was very good. We had it with beef stew and the sweetness of the raisins was lovely. I only used 1.5 cups of raisins and that was fine for me. Also I thought I had sour cream and it turned out that I didn't, so I added another 3/4 cup buttermilk and 4 TB butter in a pinch. I will make again for sure. Couldn't do the x on top as I like because it was not elastic enough, but it did have a sufficiently crusty exterior. I baked in a 9 inch cake pan. It took 60 minutes in my oven.

I have never had Irish Soda Bread, let alone made it before today...but seeing as it's St. Patricks Day I gave it a try to go along with my Corned Beef & Cabbage (the Guinness recipe from this site). I am very happy I did! I too was concerned about the texture after mixing but I had read this was the case so I crossed my fingers after cutting the cross into the top and hoped for the best. The Luck o' the Irish was with me because it is absolutely delicious. I did cut the raisins back to 1 cup and baked it in a 10" cast iron skillet for 55 mins (did not have a smaller iron to cook in) but after 55 mins the top was nicely browned. Now the house is filled with the aromas of the corned beef slow roasting. Can't wait for us to try them both together for dinner tonight. Thank you Penguin Lady for this recipe. This will be a keeper in my Recipe Box.

This was excellent! I just want to warn that the dough, for me, was extremely wet....beyond sticky! So wet, the X I tried slashing didn't quite work. However, the bread was totally awesome.....moist, fragrant, a lovely compliment to our corned beef dinner!

This is the closest recipe to the real thing I have encountered anywhere on the internet. My mother taught me how to make this type of bread when I could barely reach the table. Only difference being that she used all buttermilk (which came from our own dairy and that sure made a difference) and her own home made butter. What can I say - those days are gone.

Excellent! Used exact ingredients but found I didn't need to bake is as long as noted. Time could be cut by 5 - 10 minutes. This makes a really large loaf so I made it a second time and divided between 2 pans. PERFECT!!!

I also had never made nor had this before and decided to make it to go with the corned beef and cabbage. I didn't have any sour cream so substituted non-fat yogurt. My buttermilk was also non-fat (all I could find!) So while the bread was non-fat, we just HAD to slather it with butter while it was warm and it tasted awesome! We celebrated St. Pat's day a day early - and the left-over bread (it was only by great willpower that there was any left over) toasted up great for breakfast. I can picture it as French toast too. We all liked the abundance of raisins - but I can see how there were quite a few - might try currants next time. Definitely a new favorite thing to make and eat!

I am not a bread baker, & had never made soda bread, but this recipe was so easy! I reduced the amount of caraway seeds & raisins to my taste, and I kind of just patted the dough down into the pan because it was too sticky to knead. But it came out beautifully. I can't wait to make some more to impress my friends! Just don't forget to use a pan with high sides as shown in the picture, or the dough will seep over the sides.

Best Irish Soda Bread I have ever had. This recipe was moist and had just a perfect hint of sweetness. It was picture perfect and delicious with my St. Patrick's Day meal. Definitely a keeper, and will be on my table much more than once a year.

This recipe is great and has been well received by my family for many years. I do cut the raisins to 1.5-2 cups. Why I am writing now is I have an old recipe with very similar ingredients but has you soak the raisins in 2 tbsp of Irish whiskey. I have done it for years and it plumps the raisins and adds a nice flavor, yet mild. Just a thought!

Easy and very good. Had to use 1 cup plain yogurt for the sour cream with no ill effects. Used about 1 cup each...raisins, dried cranberries, and dried apricots. Enjoyed this! Thank you!

Was very tasty. Tasted Old country.

Absolutely wonderful. Great flavor, easy to make, looks very impressive when you pull it out of the oven. As stated in the recipe, the dough is EXTREMELY sticky, but the bread turned out well. I'll be making this year-round.

This is the closes recipe to the orthenic Irish soda bread. My mother came from Ireland and the only differecne to the this recipe is that the caraway seeds were increased to 3 to 4 tablespoons. The seeds is what gives the bread is taste and not a flavor of cake. Good recipe

I originally made this for a traditional Irish dinner that I was hosting & it was such a hit that I've made it every week since. It's super versatile - try it plain, use cranberries instead of raisins (I only use 1 c - not 3), non fat yogurt for sour cream (to save a few calories), Gluten Free - it's all amazing. I love that it's fast and no bread machine necessary to yields warm homemade bread in just about an hour. Noteworthy: My inlaws just got back from Ireland and said this is the most authentic soda bread in the states.

This recipe is the best...not heavy like some Irish Bread. I added only 1-1/2 cups white raisins instead of 3 cups....really delicious! The caraway seeds add lots of flavor.

Turned out pretty good. Was a little worried since I've never made soda bread before, but I got rave reviews from my family and co-workers. One said it was just like what his grandmother used to make! Definitely will become a regular in this family's St. Patrick's day meal.

This is a simple and authentic recipe. Definitely use cast iron or ceramic to bake. You can mix this dough using a stand mixer, combine dry ingredients first, combine wet separately, low for 2 mins to combine wet and dry into a ball, scrape sides, 30 secs on low, scrape and turn dough, 30 secs more on low. Bread took 55 mins at 350. Let cool 5 mins then remove to wire rack, covered.

This was GREAT and added it to my fav recipes. Being of Irish decent, I have been searching for a great Irish Soda Bread recipe only to find, until now, dense and dry breads. The only change to the recipe that I made was that I used 1/2 golden and 1/2 black raisins because I like the mixture.

Absolutely wonderful and easy. Made it for the first time today with a friend and thrilled with the results. Crusty and chewy and delicious. We made 2 loaves and used a 15 oz. box of raisins between us which was just perfect. Would not change a thing

I've made this receipe a number of times and love it. It is quick to make and the bread is delicious. It keeps well for a number of days. Additionally, I have frozen part of the loaf and it always defrosts well. 3 cups of raisins is quite a lot. I typically use 2 cups instead of three (often to save money as raisins are expensive). The amount of raisins really depends on personal taste, but I generally prefer no less than 2 cups. To make a healthier bread I sometimes subsitute in 2 or 2.5 cups of wheat floor for the same amount of white. This brown bread version has a slightly different taste, but is equally delicious. Depending on how much wheat floor you substitute you may want to add a little extra buttermilk as the wheat floor soaks up more of the wet ingredients than the white.

I have tried various recipes, some better than others. This was perfect for me. Add raisins using your own discretion. I did use a 10" pan.

Started making this recipe five years ago, as written. I then adjusted to my own taste by cutting the caraway in half (1/2 Tbsp). I use two cups of raisins instead of three (1 cup dark and 1 cup golden raisins, I like the contrast). I make five of these every St Patty's Day. One for me, one for work, one for a friend and two for a coffee shop that sells it! The loaves I make for the coffee shop are baked in giant sized EZ Foil loaf pans 11.75 X 5.5 inches. This recipe fits the loaf pan perfectly. Thank you so much for sharing.

So easy and delish! I did modify the fruit(1 c raisin, 1/2 c chopped apricots, 1/2 cup craisins). not sure if the caraway seeds are necessary, but i did add them. Got rave reviews at my cooking club. A keeper recipe!

Made this very easy bread today and it is delicious. Substituted Splenda for sugar, used low fat sour cream, and baked in 2 - 8" x 4" loaf pans for 55 minutes. Otherwise followed recipe exactly. May try without the caraway next time, just for comparison. Hubby loves it. Taking a loaf to our son and daughter-in-law for dinner tomorrow. Definitely a keeper!

I made this bread for my second-grader's St. Patrick's Day celebration. I opted for this recipe over a traditional family one, and what an improvement! This won over the picky eaters in the classroom and left everyone asking for more! Crazy easy and crazy good. Serve it with Kerrygold Irish Butter, and you can't go wrong!

Super easy and a taste sensation! Love it! Lightly sweet and MOIST. I used golden raisins and greek yogurt and didn't dust with flour. If you just slightly under bake this, it stays moister. I recommend NOT kneading the dough because it's just too sticky. Instead I used a silicon spatula and folded the ingredients into each other. ( FYI - the buttermilk QTY is just under a pint.)

Made this recipe today for St Paddy's Day and my family loved it! Very easy-only a couple changes-instead of raisins (not a family favorite)I used a cup Craisins and I baked mine in a buttered 9" loaf pan. I'm sure I will be making this again!

Prepared exactly as directed. Yummy & delish!

This was awesome!! I made this for the first time to accent my St. Patty's dinner and it was a hit!! Follow th4e recipe!! Next time I make it I will add the full 4 cups of raisins... I only used 2-1/2 c. due to previous review comments and thought the raisins rocked this bread, so the full 4c. would not be too much for me. The caraway seeds and raisin combo really works well... interesting and tasty. The bread was even better the second day... moistened up from all those raisins. Tip - don't try putting all that batter into an 8" round... overflow and stinky oven will result. I'm definately going to be making this every year for St. Patrick's and will probably make it occassionally thoughout the year as a yummy comfort food!!

Very tasty, but I had a HUGE mess in the oven trying to fit this in a 9" cake pan. The second time I made it, I cut the recipe in HALF and it worked perfectly in the 9" pan. Took about 45 minutes to bake. Good even without the raisins and caraway. A bit too sweet when I had it with corned beef, but perfect for breakfast. Next time I make it to go with supper, I will cut the sugar.

This bread was delicious! I had needed to make something for a St. Patty's Day potluck, and an attempt at cookies failed so I needed something quick and easy. This was perfect! Couldn't have been simpler, and the end result was tasty. It was best toasted with butter, but was still good on it's own. The only difference I made was to omit the raisins, since I kept hearing that real soda bread doesn't have them, and I also omitted the caraway seeds, since I read that a lot of people don't like them. I split the batter between two 7x3 inch pans since that's all I had. End result was delicious... it disappeared! >>>>> UPDATE: This was so good I had to make more, and kept it around as a snack bread. It was so tasty toasted with butter! I had promised the second loaf to my mom, and was so sad to let it go! lol

This is a great recipe. Taste is wonderful but I did not dust top with flour I brushed a little sour cream on top and 3C of raisins is way too much I used a heaping 1C and it was pleanty.

It was my first try at this bread. I found a couple of others before my friend pointed me to this recipe. Being that I am Hungarian and we put sour cream into everything, I went with this recipe. I was happy and my potential future in-laws were very pleased as well. It did scare me how sticky the dough was and I did have to reduce the heat a bit, as the dough started to brown fast- after about 20 minutes. By adjusting the heat I felt I had better control and both versions (raisins+caraway seeds; currant) came out to perfection. THANK YOU for sharing!