Grandma's Irish Soda Bread Recipe With Raisins! (2024)

FAQs

How are raisins rehydrated in Irish soda bread? ›

Yes, you do not have to put raisins in Irish Soda Bread. You can leave it plain, add dried cranberries, or the nontraditional (but delicious) choice of chocolate chips. If you do use a dried fruit, I recommend soaking them in warm water for about 20 minutes to allow them to absorb the water and plump up.

A traditional loaf contains just four ingredients: white flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt, though modern versions often get a few extras like butter, sugar, caraway seeds, lemon or orange zest, and dried fruit.

It's important to remember no to overmix your ingredients. Irish Soda Bread is a dense bread, similar to a scone, but can easily become dry if overmixed. Quickly add the wet ingredients to a well you've made in the dry ingredients, and mix with your hands or a dough hook until it just comes together.

The most traditional doneness test calls for thumping the hot bread in the center to hear if it's hollow-sounding. A more foolproof indication is temperature; the loaf will register 200°F to 205°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted in the center of the bread. Let the bread cool.

And finally, don't immediately cut into the Fast Irish Soda bread when you pull it out of the oven. Although this bread is best served warm, cutting into it too quickly will turn the bread gummy.

If you add dry raisins to your mix, they tend to draw in moisture from the dough, which can result in drier, harder baked goods. By soaking them, you ensure that the moisture in your batter stays right where it should, keeping your cakes, breads — cinnamon raisin bread, anyone? — or cookies moist and tender.

Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like while Irish brown bread is more savory with a tender interior.

A soda bread defined in America

If you want to make an authentic Irish soda bread, the difference lies in what ingredients you should omit. According to Epicurious, Irish-American soda breads use caraway seeds and raisins in the recipe, while soda breads from Ireland lack both of these add-ins.

You're looking for a dough that's soft but not overly sticky or wet, and that holds together enough to make a loaf that can hold its shape on the sheet pan. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add up to 1/2 cup additional buttermilk, a tablespoon or so at a time, until it comes together.

Tightly wrap your leftover bread and place it in an airtight container. There's no need to refrigerate. As for how long soda bread lasts: Irish soda bread tends to dry out faster than other breads. The bread will be good for 3-4 days or up to three months if frozen.

Why does my soda bread taste bitter? ›

If your bread tastes soapy, salty, or bitter or if the crust is too dark: You might have added too much baking soda or baking powder or used self-rising flour. If your bread's texture is dry: You might have added too much baking soda, too little liquid or not baked it at high enough temperature.

If you've ever tried Irish soda bread and not liked it, don't go running off yet! Chances are good that the bread you ate suffered from one of three common problems: improper amount of baking soda (a gross, salty-bitter taste), over cooking (a dry, chalky texture), or undercooking (a soggy, doughy center).

Fennel seeds are the closest alternative to caraway seeds and make an excellent substitution because they're both relatives of the carrot family, although they aren't the same plant.

Why does my Soda Bread not cook in the middle? The reason why your soda bread isn't cooking properly is very often that your oven isn't calibrated correctly. Check your oven or adjust your temperature with the next try until you get it right. Baking is as much an art as it is a science.

Before cooking, simply rehydrate the fruit. Raisins will become plush and juicy, and you'll find yourself savoring more of the fruit's rich and syrupy notes. Cooks and bakers will also appreciate the difference in texture and taste when they use the plumped fruit in recipes.

Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like while Irish brown bread is more savory with a tender interior.

Irish soda bread is prepared without yeast. Traditionally it has just four ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The baking soda and buttermilk react to cause the dough to rise. In Ireland, soda bread is often made from stone-ground whole-wheat flour, though white flour versions are available.