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–+ servings
sliced sweet irish soda bread showing the dried fruit inside.
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4.77 from 13 votes

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

This is an amazing recipe for sweet Irish soda bread. A moist, aromatic bread with raisins and caraway seeds.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Irish
Servings: 1 small loaf
Calories: 214kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • 250 g all-purpose flour 9 oz/ 2 cups
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda bicarbonate of soda
  • 75 g raisins 2.5 oz/ scant ½ cup
  • 75 g cranberries 2.5 oz/ scant ½ cup
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • zest 1 orange
  • 50 ml orange juice 1.7 fl.oz/ ¼ cup
  • 100 ml buttermilk 3.5 fl.oz/ ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons, Note 2
  • 3 tablespoons runny honey
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil like rapeseed or sunflower

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  • Dry ingredients: Mix flour, salt, baking soda. Add the raisins, cranberries, caraway seeds, and orange zest.
    250 g all-purpose flour/ 2 cups + pinch of salt + 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda + 75 g raisins/ scant ½ cup + 75 g cranberries/ scant ½ cup + 1 teaspoon caraway seeds + zest 1 orange
  • Wet ingredients: Mix the orange juice, buttermilk, honey, and oil in a jug and stir until the honey dissolves. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix quickly until just combined. Do not overmix.
    50 ml orange juice/ ¼ cup + 100 ml buttermilk/ ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoon + 3 tablespoons runny honey + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Knead dough: Turn the rather sticky dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times to form a round loaf. Don't overwork the dough; just bring it into shape (Note 3).
  • Slash soda bread: Place the dough on the prepared baking tray and lightly dust with a bit of flour. Slash a cross on top, about halfway through the bread (Note 4).
  • Bake the Irish sweet soda bread for about 30 minutes until deeply brown. Let cool on a wire rack.

Notes

  1. Measurements: Use a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) to measure the ingredients when baking; it guarantees for best results.
  2. Make buttermilk: As buttermilk is not something you always have in the house and as you need such a small amount, you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar to 150 ml/ 45 fl. oz/ ⅔ cup milk. Leave to stand for 5-10 minutes and use as required.
  3. Don't knead the dough too much; it's enough to push it together to give it a rough round shape.
  4. The slashes prevent cracking and help the center of the bread bake through.

Nutrition

Serving: 2slices | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 262mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g