Authentic 4-Ingredient Irish Bread (Printable)
Rustic Irish soda bread made with four simple ingredients, featuring a golden crust and tender crumb.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or dust lightly with flour.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly blended.
03 - Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour buttermilk into the well and stir with a wooden spoon just until a shaggy, sticky dough forms.
04 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead briefly only until it holds together—overworking will toughen the bread. Shape into a round, flattened loaf approximately 2 inches thick.
05 - Place loaf on prepared baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut a deep cross pattern about 1/2 inch deep across the top.
06 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until loaf develops a golden-brown crust and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
07 - Transfer bread to a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting to prevent crumb from becoming gummy.
# Tips from dashanddishes:
01 -
- No yeast, no proofing, no waiting—just mix and bake
- The crust sings when you tap it, the kind of sound that tells you you did something right
- Four ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now
02 -
- Overworking the dough makes it tough—soda bread needs a light touch and minimal kneading
- The hollow sound when tapping the bottom is your doneness indicator, better than any timer
- Room temperature ingredients help everything come together more easily
03 -
- Cut the X deeply but don't slice all the way through—about a third of the loaf's depth is perfect
- If the crust browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes