Brennan's Irish Soda Bread

Of all the soda bread recipes I've tried , this is by far the best ! I made this for my cafe's St. Paddy's Day luncheon, and the reviews were RAVE ! It even brought tears to one older Irish gent who procliamed " It tasted exactly like his childhood..." Bank on this recipe !

This was delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. Yes, the dough is wet, but no you do NOT need to add more flour. Just "knead" it with the spoon if you don't want to get your hands sticky. I needed to shorten the baking time, so I divided the dough into 12 greased muffin cups. It worked great. PLUS it made more of the yummy, crispy edges. We LOVED this and will make it often!!

Really great and simple recipe. Recommended cook time is too long. I cooked mine for about 25 minutes and it was perfect. Will use this again.

I made this bread tonight with some potato soup and my husband and I both LOVED it! We ate almost the entire loaf just between the two of us. We saved a little bit just so we could see what it would taste like cold. I agree with the other reviewers, the bake time is way too long. I cooked it about 25-30 minutes and it came out perfect! Also, instead of kneeding it on a floured surface and making a round loaf, I put it in a bread pan and it turned out fantastic! To the person who said it was a wet lumpy dough, that's how it was for me too. I didn't add any more four and just baked it and it turned out great! I'll definitely be making this again!

Fabulous! Note to others - this batter is sticky only if you don't stop adding the milk as directed. Add only enough until the dry ingredients hold together. I have found that means that I don't use about 2TBL of the milk/vinegar mixture.

My husband and I love this bread. I originally made it because I needed a bread for dinner and didn't have time for one to rise. The sticky dough is exactly how a real soda bread should be. I've made the milk/vinegar mixture only add up to 1 cup, and then added 2 TBSP melted butter. Also, if I double it I usually add just a little more salt and sugar. Fabulous recipe though, I always get compliments on it!

Made this bread today, It was really good. I did follow the advice of another review post with only baking for 30 min. I'm eating some while I'm writing this :). I think I might like it either a bit more sweet or a bit on the salty side. Maybe add some fruit. We loved it!

This is a very easy, very tasty, very authentic soda bread recipe. I agree with other reviewers who said that the baking time is too long. I baked mine for 30 minutes and it turned out beautifully. This is a sticky dough, so I try to handle as little as possible. I just mix it with a stand mixer and scrape the dough out directly onto the baking sheet, making a roughly mound shaped lump. Then I sprinkle a little flour on the top, pat the dough into a reasonably neat rounded shape and slash an X in the top.

Amazing!! I was looking for a go to Irish Soda Bread recipe, this is above and beyond what I was looking for. Honestly, I was not a huge fan of soda bread, but my husband likes it. After he tried it he said it was the best soda bread he had ever had. I have tried a few recipes in the past this is the only one I will make again and again.

This was my first experiment with soda bread. It came out delicious! I made it to go with the Potato soup! (Ultimate potato soup by THUMPER74137) A chorus of Mmm's were the only sound at dinner that night! Thanks!

I made this bread for the for the first time tonight and I will definately make it again. It is very delicious and easy to make. Yummy :)

Baking time recommended is too long. I baked for 30 minutes or so and it was perfect. Allow to cool somewhat for easier slicing. The taste is a bit like a buttermilk biscuit, but no shortening so does not have a biscuit texture. Crispy on the outside, somewhat dense and soft on the inside. The kids enjoyed it and it was gone quickly

Very good, quick and easy bread, follow recipe excatly, except don't bake as long 30 minutes is enough time, I brushed it with some butter on top after 25 minutes of baking, and then baked for an additional five, just to get the crust golden.

Every time I make this I get rave reviews.

After making as written and baking for the stated time, I find it hard to review how the bread tastes as it comes out way overcooked and rubbery. Very disappointed, and not sure I care to try again.

Hands down, the best Irish Soda Bread EVER! I've finally found my "IT" recipe.

This is so quick and easy. I made a loaf for St. Patrick's Day supper, and two days later my 11 year-old son made another loaf. It's that simple. I used buttermilk in place of the milk and vinegar since I had some I needed to use up. I'll be making this again and again!

Delish! And super easy! I added 2 tablespoons melted butter for extra buttery taste. The dough was extremely moist, but no need to add extra flour. It bakes just fine and might get too dry if you add flour.

This is the real deal!! I made this with lamb stew. I originally had a box mix that I made. I had a funny feeling I should make another, just in case. So glad I did. The box mix was, quite frankly, . It tasted awful. This is so easy anyway, its a waste of money to buy a mix for flour, baking soda, salt and sugar... This was delicious. Tasted just like what my grandmother used to make, and she was Irish through and through. Only changes I made were to reduce bake time to 30 minutes and brush butter on the top at the last 5 minutes.

This was sooo good--and so easy. I made it to go with soup and the bread was done first. I kept picking at it, waiting on the soup because it was just so good. I think you could add herbs if you wanted something different (not sure how traditional that would be), but you don't need to. I'm going to try adding rosemary next time.

Excellent Recipe, been using it for years. I do update it a bit with caraway seeds and currants or raisins. But excellent crumb, easy to modify with other seeds and additions while sticking to the basic recipe. Thanks everyone for your input.

I just baked this today and this is very good stuff! I did add an extra TBSP of sugar just because we like a slightly sweeter bread. Dough was very wet, and I only baked this for 35 minutes. I think 30 would have been enough though. This was so easy! I might try adding raisins to this and maybe a touch more sugar next time just for fun and experimenting!

Great Bread! I originally made if for St Patrick's Day and now I make it all of the time because it is so easy! Only about 10 minutes of prep and you have fresh bread for dinner. I changed the cooking time to only 40 minutes and it is perfect. I also do 1 cup whole wheat flour to make it a little healthier. FYI, it is also a very wet dough but that is what makes it so moist. Great for any occasion!

Simple and authentic, and best of all very easy to throw together quickly with ingredients that are on hand. I actually used real buttermilk rather than the milk/vinegar substitution, but I'm sure the substitution works fine. I also only baked for about 30 min (and did three loaves on the cookie sheet) and got the perfect level of done-ness. This recipe is great and tastes like bread I ate as an exchange student in Ireland years ago.

Just what I was looking for~not a sweet bread~ something to serve with my Corned Beef & Cabbage. Very tasty!

A decent bread. I wasn't too thrilled with the taste, but my family prefered this over the whole wheat soda bread I made. I just loved the Irish Wheaten Bread recipe, but this one had no flavor. I baked it for about 25 minutes and it came out flat. I either flattened the bread out too much, or more baking soda is needed. If I make this again, I will use whole wheat flour.

Turned out a lump of sticky, sticky dough - had to add almost a cup of flour - never did get it off my fingers. Followed receipe EXAXTLY!!!!! AND had others check. What a mess - will not ever do that one again...............

We liked this a lot. Good simple bread. It's easier to just throw it into a bread pan and bake instead of shaping it into a loaf. It's really wet and hard to shape. (I've tried it both ways)

This turned out great. I've doubled the recipe to make 2 loaves or lots of "biscuits" I like that it doesn't call for added fats like shortening or lard.

So yummy! I will make this often. I only baked it for 30 minutes and had to add a little extra flour because the original dough was really wet.

omg Brennan! Thank you so much! This was the BEST Irish soda bread I've ever tasted and the true original, like you said, straight from the Emerald Isle! Delicious! I ate half the round I made and am about to start a second. I baked it for 35 minutes instead of 45 but that is the ONLY change I made. I love the fact that the recipe uses the trusted and true milk and vinegar combination. So many people think buttermilk is the same, but it isn't. Not when it comes to true Irish soda bread. Making at least 3 more of these rounds so I can freeze them. A wonderful bread to keep on hand, as the cost of standard loaves continues to rise. Thanks again!

Just made this for St Patricks's day and instead of milk and vinegar used buttermilk (need a little more) like my mother in law Hannah used to make on griddle. My husband loved it and I just made 2 more for tonight for the grandchildren coming over.

This was my first time making Irish soda bread an let me tell you iv been Missing out! Delicious!!! I was expecting it to Taste like a biscuit...lol It's actually nothing like it...a beautiful crust an a soft an oh so fluffy in the center I will make this Bread often!!

This was sooo easy & sooo good! Much easier AND tastier than another Irish soda bread I tried. I halved the recipe & made a very small loaf which I cooked on toaster setting in a buttered pie tin in my not-so-good/about-to-be-exchanged convection oven. I served it with "True Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy" recipe here. Cut the loaf in quarters. Hard crust & very soft center. A perfect accompaniment to the dish. I will definitely make this easy & yummy recipe again! I'd like to make it & have it with jam or marmalade. NOT just for breakfast, though!

OK First of all, I rated this 5 star even though the 45 min baking time is way too much. 30 mins is perfect. I have got to say that this bread was the easiest bread I've ever made and it is "da bomb diggity"! I should have made a lot more on St. Patty's Day! I'll be making this all the time. When its a hit with my teenage grandkids, I know its good. A total keeper, this one is. What I did to make the easiest clean up ever is that after washing my hands well, of course, I just left everything in the bowl and kneaded it with my hands. Plopped it on my greased pan and stuck it in the oven for 30 mins. A cup of buttermilk works instead of the milk and vinegar. The milk and vinegar mixture is actually the substitute for buttermilk. My mama taught me that years n years ago. OH YEAH!

This was really good but very very sticky dough. Probably the stickiest dough I have ever used. It was almost impossible to knead but at least it picked up a bit of the flour from the surface. There was no way for me to make an X on the top. But alas it came out really good and for so few ingredients it's definitely a keeper. The baking time was definitely off for me and it was done in about 20 mins.

Solid. Very easy to make. Moist. Very subtle flavor. One where spread is highlight. I did love the crunch of the crust. Like a baguette as for crunchy crust factor. Mildly sweet.

I make this all the time now. However, I bake it for less than the time stated because it gets done a lot sooner than the time indicated. How anyone can knead the sticky dough on a floured surface is beyond my understanding. I just plop it in a greased bowl and bake. Turns out perfect!

Wonderful & simple. My only adjustment was that I used a cup of buttermilk vs. the milk and vinegar combination suggested in recipe. I also would recommend going with a high-gluten flour instead of standard all-purpose flour - it gives it more body. Will definitely make again.

Very tasty and easy recipe! I liked that it used a few simple ingredients. Thanks for sharing :)

Very easy and delicious. Like all the reviews I read, 30 minutes worked better than 45. I used a cup of buttermilk instead of the milk/vinegar concoction.

This was great, I only had cider vinegar and it worked fine. Mixed it in the Kitchen Aide, and baked it on pizza stone. Dough was very sticky.. I was very unsure it it would bake up properly but I figured with so few ingredients I had nothing to loose. Don't change a thing. It was tender and a bit sweet, not too sweet. Best I have made yet. Will make this again for more than just a St. Patrick's Day dinner.

Made this for authentic Irish meal,served it w/ Bangers and Mash.... wonderful!!!! Only needs 30 minutes in oven. I make this a few times a week now, haven't bought bread in months, the grocer can keep his $3.00 a loaf bread!

Excellent. Didn't do anything different and it was wonderful. Mixing it up, I thought, "This is going to be a giant [American style] biscuit. Not so, it was a wonderful bread. My only lesson learned was that I didn't cut my X deep enough. But the loaf in the oven now is just right. Can't wait until supper! Thank you for this great, authentic recipe.

Awesome bread. It didn't take the full time to cook only 30 minutes but the texture and taste were amazing.

Perfect, simple bread recipe. I always make this with corned beef and cabbage - everyone loves it. I normally change something in a recipe, but not this one - perfect as is!

Just made this bread today. But changed it little I had left over buttermilk so used it 1 cup and used 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese . and only baked it for 30 min. mix the cheese with flour mixture. Turned out very good. Baked it in a 9 inch round pan.

SOOO EASY!! I have never made such a great loaf of bread in less than 10 min!!! The kids gobbled it up and it has become a staple in our house!

I've been on this site for years and this is my first review. I feel so strongly about this recipe I had to say something. Im not a strong cook and the idea of making bread from scratch scared the heck out of me. I made 6 loaves of this in one evening. I made the first one and my family loved it so much I had to make more for them to take home. I didn't change a thing about the recipe. I make this for all occasions.

I've made Irish Soda Bread since 1992. It's versatile, crunchy on the outside soft on the inside, fun and gratifying to create. I added dried apricots this time. I enjoyed this particular recipe. Yum! Satisfying. Thanks!!

I made this for the first time for St. Patrick's Day. It was pretty easy to make and everyone, including myself loved it! Will make again for stews/soupts, etc.!

This was just delicious. I added 2 T. melted butter and a smidge more sugar. It had a wonderful flavor and went great with Split Pea soup with ham. Will definitely make again.

I'm not too familiar with soda bread, so I don't know how authentic this one tastes. But I can tell you that it is one good bread. Slightly sweet, crusty on the outside and soft but dense inside. Everyone loved it, and I am looking forward to using it for corned beef sandwiches. Made exactly as written. I was concerned that the dough seemed wet, but I stuck with it and kneaded a little more, and the dough turned out very nice.

I was out of bread and didn't feel like running to the store. And in general I don't like the store bought pap in the plastic bag anyhow, so I was looking for a recipe that didn't involve hours of letting the dough rise and I found this. I followed the instructions, only didn't scour the loaf deep enough, a problem I usually have when making bread, but other than that it came out perfect and absolutely yummy. I especially love the nice, deep, crispy-chewy crust.

This is my new favorite soda bread recipe. My husband and I had it last night with some creamy onion soup--so delicious! In the future though I might cut down the salt just a tiny bit. He thought the salt level was perfect, but I prefer just a little less. Thanks for sharing this!

Dough was a wet mess. Double checked my amounts with the recipe. You need to add a lot more flour or a lot less milk.

Tremendous recipe exactly as written. Makes a fantastic corned beef sandwich. My husband asked me to make it again as buns so he could use one with a hamburger. Yes it's sticky but it works perfectly and is so delicious it's worth a few sticky fingers.

Wonderful recipe. Added 2 tablespoons of vinegar to an empty measuring cup and filled the rest with milk. It was the perfect amount of liquid for the recipe. Also, the other reviewers are correct. 30 minutes is a more accurate baking time.

I followed the recipe except used real buttermilk. I took the bread out of the oven after 30 min as some suggested and was tempted into cutting into it right away. Center was not cooked, so i put it back in the oven (turned off) and let it sit in the residual heat for 5 min. Then, I let it cool on the sheet for 10 mins. It was gone 10 minutes after that! Yummy! The dough *is* soft. I used my stand mixer with the dough hook and used just the hook to mix and kneed the dough. It took about 2 min for everything to come together. Use damp hands to help shape the dough on the sheet. Oh, and I used a silpat instead of greasing the baking sheet. This is MUCH better than another soda bread I tried last week!

Incredibly easy. Once you read the reviews you realize the dough is suppose to be sticky and the cook time should be somewhere between 25-30 mins.

I wish I didn't listen to all the reviews and had instead baked it for the full 40 minutes. I baked it for 30 and it was still doughy inside. Next time I will follow the original recipe. For the record, I used soy milk, as I always do in baking.

Made two loaves today... absolutely delicious! Wouldn't change a thing!

YUM! I baked it in a loaf pan and spread an egg white on top. I reduced the cooking time (as others suggested) to about 34 minutes. My kids ate it all and asked or more! I just vigorously stirred it with a spoon for 30 seconds without adding additional flour. Thanks for the great recipe!!!

THIS WAS WONDERFUL, MADE IT LAST NIGHT TO GO ALONG WITH OUR ST. PATRICKS DINNER, IT WAS REAL EASY TO MAKE AND TASTED YUMMY. I WILL BE USING THIS RECIPE ALOT MORE OFTEN :)

This is a simple and quick, very delicious recipe. I had better luck baking it for 20 minutes rather than the 45 listed in the directions. Even with that much less time the crust was still chewy/crunchy perfection.

So good. I have tried many soda bread recipes & haven't found one I liked until now. Since printing this recipe a week ago I have already made this 3 times, it's that good.

Excellent option for a yeast-free bread. Made no modifications. Reduced baking time to 40 min - and changed from top to bottom shelf half-way through for a more even crust.

Tried this for the first time today, to rave reviews from my husband. Will definitely be doing this recipe again and again. tried baking it in a convection oven and it was a great success

I was struck by Jeff Mowatt’s review that said an Irishman had tears in his eyes after tasting this. Figured it had to be good! And it is. Didn’t make any changes and my husband greeted me this morning saying, “Wait until you try the bread toasted.” Next time I will put in a few raisins and maybe a bit of cinnamon.

I made this a few times now and I can tell you right now it's exactly how my grandma made it and it tastes phenomenal!!! I've did a little experimenting with this recipe and have added Caramelized onions to the dough and holy goodness it tastes great. I put the curdled milk in the pan to retrieve all the flavours also! Amazing

This was so easy to make and very delicious! I mixed it with a wooden spoon and ditched the kneading. It still came out perfect!

Awesome. Cook time on recipe is too long. Shorten cook time. Thumbs up

My husband and I both really like this bread.

I wasn't too sure of this at first and have never made bread (other than desert breads) before. I was very happy with my first try and am going to make more right away! It really is quite good :)

Wonderful recipe - so yummy!! I didn't change a thing! My husband and sons loved it and asked for it again the next day. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

Amazingly easy and delicious! Fresh bread in a pinch to compliment any meal! Followed the recipe exactly - might have taken it out of the oven a few minutes earlier, just watched for the perfect color.

Very nice soda bread. I did use buttermilk instead of the milk vinegar combo. Thanks!

This was a good, easy to make 4 star recipe but needed a little more to make it a great 5 star recipe. I made 1-1/2 times recipe since as written wasn't enough for 8 people to have two slices each (i.e.; 3 cups flour, 1-1/2 cups buttermilk, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt etc). I added a total of 4 tbsps of sugar and a 1/2 cup of raisins. 45 minute cook time was too much even with 1-1/2 times the recipe, only took 35 minutes.

Best one I've ever made! I also pulled it out around 35 mins in, as my oven is pretty hot. Even my picky hubby liked it. Not dry at all but fluffy inside and crispy outside. Might try it with whole wheat flour next time and see how that works.

This was the first time making and eating irish bread. Very nice surprise. I served this with beef stew. I found it tasted absolutely amazing with some butter. I will definitely make this again. I love that it was so simple. I am rating this 4 stars though instead of 5 because it was just right baked for 30 min, as other reviewers suggested. 40 min would have been over done.

Made this on St. Patrick's Day and it was delish! Not too heavy like soda bread can be. Will make it with other meals; not just with corned beef.

Dough is a bit wet but don't worry. It works and it's delicious. It was a big hit on St. Paddy's day.

This is the one. Simple . Easy. Dress it up or down. I topped mine with a coarse sugar crust to turn it into a dessert, but you could just as easily add savory herbs. Next time I'll make two. Three teenagers demolished a single loaf in just a few seconds. If the dough is too sticky, knead more flour into it. That's how dough works, folks. Watch for done-ness at about 30 minutes. My oven usually takes about 10 minutes longer than instructed, and this time it took 5 minutes less. "Golden" is the color you want it; any darker and your crust is going to be tough.

Delicious and so easy! Next time I think I’ll double the recipe cuz it’s so yummy!

5 stars for ease, time and flavor.

Yummy....sticky mess, yep, to long of time, yep even 30 made ours really really brown, I will cut the time back even more next time.

Fool proof,,so easy yet taste like you baked all day.

This is excellent! I liked it better with less sugar and more salt though. Also tried to waffle it, and it came out great. Very simple recipe, recommended.

I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of taking it out of the oven after 30 minutes. I did not add extra flour, even though the dough was really sticky and could not hold a round shape. The result was a rubbery textured bread that did not have a great flavor.

I made two different soda breads for St Patrick's and this one was by far the easiest. It is a bit smaller so cooks faster (agree with others that 30 minutes is good) but tastes great, and I will be making it more often (as strongly requested in my house).

I doubled the recipe and made two loaves. I shared them with eight people and everyone raved about it! I’m not sure it I looked at the wrong timer or if the cooking time was too long ( I had several things cooking at the same time) but it seemed over baked. The crust was thick and hard but the inside was perfect texture and moisture. Excellent taste.

This makes a small loaf that was just enough for three people with St Patricks day dinner but was excellent. Travis and Austin loved it. Only needed to cook for 30 minutes.

So easy and fast! I'm not a baker at all and it turned out great anyway. My family loved it. Nice addition to our St Patty's Day dinner.

I had leftover cream and used some of that with the milk. This is a keeper. Simple and delicious.

Easy recipe as written, except cooking time should be reduced to about 30 minutes. I made this for company and it was a great hit. I will certainly make this again!

This was absolutely delicious! Made as per the recipe except for the baking time, baked mine for 30 minutes and it was perfect.

Bravo, Brennan! This was a HUGE hit at my house for St. Patrick's Day -- so much so, that I had made two loaves yesterday and am making two more today! I made a couple tweaks to the original recipe: I added raisins and increased the sugar to 3 Tbsp. Per popular reviewer suggestion, I also baked the bread for 25 minutes, which produced beautiful, rustic loaves. Fantastically easy and delicious, this recipe will repeated in my kitchen!

it was a good recipe, but it lacks RAISINS!!! That was was why it did not get 5 stars.

This didn't work out as well for me. Followed the recipe exactly. It was very wet and hard to shape into anything so I just place into a greased loaf pan. It didn't have much taste. Many reviewers said to bake for less time, so I did, 30 mins. It was pale but done so I'm glad I took it out. The bottom crust seemed tough to cut and the bread didn't have much flavor. Thankfully I had made apple butter or it might have sat there without being eaten. I wouldn't make it again.