Learn how to make yogurt soda bread, a delicious Irish bread using just a few ingredients, and ready in about 40 minutes.
You can hardly find a bread recipe that’s faster and easier to make than this yogurt soda bread. Maybe this Spelt Bread (or Whole Wheat) is just as simple as today’s Irish loaf. You could also try these Irish Guinness Brown Bread or Sweet Soda Bread recipes; they're fantastic!
What is the best about this Irish bread? It’s a no-recipe: no yeast, no-knead, no rise, no buttermilk, no mixer. And all those “no-es” only mean one thing: this soda bread is easier to make than any other loaf.
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Recipe ingredients
- Flour: You will need two types of flour: all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.
- Dairy: No buttermilk is needed, and that’s great; I rarely have any buttermilk just lying around in my fridge. But I always have yogurt. So, you will need full-fat Greek yogurt instead.
- Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda): A leavening agent that reacts with acid (yogurt) and allows the dough to rise.
- Seeds: You can leave them out, but I strongly recommend using them; they add a lot of flavor and texture to the yogurt soda bread.
- You can use 3 tablespoons of a seeds mix or 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds, and 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds. Try our Flaxseed Bread next!
- Other ingredients: fine sea salt or Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1 tablespoon milk.
How to make soda bread with yogurt?
- Preheat the oven to 430°F/ 220°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Step #1: Whisk dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt, in a large mixing bowl. Add ¾ of the seeds and mix again.
- Step #2: Combine wet ingredients, yogurt, honey, and olive oil, in another bowl. Make a well in the flour mixture. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Step #3: Sprinkle the work surface with 1 tablespoon of flour. Place the dough on it and sprinkle it with a little bit of flour. Knead gently with floured hands, only 4-5 times, to bring the dough into shape. Form a round loaf and transfer it to the baking sheet.
- Step #4: Brush the top of the loaf with one tablespoon of milk and sprinkle the remaining seeds on top. Cut a deep cross with a serrated knife. This step is not just for the looks but also to help the yogurt soda bread bake evenly.
- Bake at high temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 400°F/ 200°C. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the soda loaf is baked through.
- Check! The bottom should sound hollow when thumped with the knuckles. If it doesn’t, allow the loaf for 5 more minutes in the oven.
- Let cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before cutting.
Tips for making a great loaf of bread
A digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) will give you the most precise measure ensuring the best bake possible.
The amount of flour you need depends a little on the flour you are using and on the yogurt (some brands are thicker than others); I sometimes need to add a little more flour when shaping the bread.
Handle the dough just long enough to shape it. Knead only lightly (4-5 times) to help it get into shape.
Preheat the oven on time and bake the soda bread with yogurt immediately after shaping it. If you leave it waiting for the oven to preheat, the baking soda will lose its power, and the dough will not rise.
If you like the crust to be softer, cover the hot loaf with a clean kitchen towel, the moisture will make the exterior softer.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, I often make this recipe with white and wholemeal spelt flour.
Soda bread is always denser than a regular loaf made with yeast. However, this yogurt soda bread is not as dense as a typical soda made with buttermilk. If it is, then you might have kneaded the dough too much, or you didn’t bake the loaf long enough.
This easy Irish soda bread made with yogurt keeps well for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Freeze the loaf or the already cut slices in an airtight container or freezer bag for about 3 months. Defrost on the counter.
You can refresh the pieces in the toaster or the whole loaf in the oven if you like.
Easy Yogurt Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour + 1-2 extra tablespoons 9 oz/ 2 cups, Note 1
- 150 g whole wheat flour 5.5 oz/ 1 ¼ cup
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher
- 3 tablespoons seeds mix divided, Note 2
- 425 g Greek yogurt full fat, 15 oz/ 1 ½ cup
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 430°F/ 220°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Dry ingredients: Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add ¾ of the seeds and mix again.250 g all-purpose flour + 1-2 extra tablespoons/ 9 oz/ 2 cups + 150 g whole wheat flour/ 5.5 oz/ 1¼ cup + 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda + 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¾ of 3 tablespoons seeds mix
- Wet ingredients: Combine yogurt, honey, and olive oil in another bowl.425 g Greek yogurt/ 1½ cup + 1 tablespoon honey + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Dough: Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Add the yogurt mixture and stir to combine using a spoon.
- Shape: Sprinkle the work surface with 1 tablespoon of flour. Place the dough on it and sprinkle it with a little bit of flour. Knead gently with floured hands, only 4-5 times, to bring the dough into shape. Form a round loaf and transfer it to the baking sheet.
- Brush the top of the bread with one tablespoon of milk and sprinkle the remaining seeds on top.1 tablespoon milk + remaining seeds
- Cut a deep cross with a serrated knife.
- Bake the soda bread at a high temperature for 15 minutes.
- Reduce temperature to 400°F/ 200°C. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the soda bread is baked through.
- Check: The bottom of the bread should sound hollow. If it doesn’t, bake for another 5 minutes and check again.
- Let cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Measurements: A digital kitchen scale (the Amazon link opens in a new tab) will give you the most precise measure ensuring the best bake possible.
- Seeds: Or 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, and 1 tablespoon flaxseed.
Poppy says
Best soda bread ever! It came together perfectly with your detailed instructions. Beautiful rise, beautiful crumb, absolutely delicious!
Vivien says
Delicious thank you. I had an Irish stew cooking and no bread in the house. I’ve often made yeasted bread but haven’t eaten soda bread since I visited Ireland. So easy. Love the yogurt.
I used a mix of organic white flour from Woolies and biodynamic whole meal from a health food store plus pepitas because I don’t not have any other seeds.
I found the mixture very dry so added a quarter cup more water. Perhaps not surprisingly it took longer to cook. Thirty minutes rather than twenty at 200 degrees and then another 15 mins at 150 because white the outside was crusty perfection the very centre was not quite done. That all seemed to work out!
Maybe I’d add a desertspoonful extra of olive oil next time rather than water? (I’ve a great photo but don’t know how to upload btw)