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!
Table of Contents
What is the best about this recipe?
- 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 Irish bread is easier to make than any other loaf.
- Rustic flavors and texture: robust flavor, a crusty exterior, and an interior that’s a lot fluffier than your regular soda bread. Still a bit dense, but not as much as you’d expect it to be. And that’s just great!
Tips for a great loaf
- A digital kitchen scale 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 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 sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, and 1 tablespoon flaxseeds.
- Other ingredients: fine sea salt or Kosher salt, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1 tablespoon milk.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit/ 220 degrees Celsius. 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 (1).
- Wet ingredients: Combine yogurt, honey, and olive oil in another bowl.
- Combine: Make a well in the flour mixture. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine (2).
- 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 (3) and transfer it to the baking sheet.
- Brush the top of the loaf with one tablespoon of milk and sprinkle the remaining seeds on top. The milk will help them stick better.
- 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 (4).
- Bake at high temperature for 15 minutes.
- Reduce temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/ 200 degrees Celsius. 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.
Recipe FAQ
Can I use spelt flour?
Yes, I often make this recipe with white and wholemeal spelt flour.
Why is the bread dense?
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.
Can I use a cast-iron skillet for baking the loaf?
Yes, I do it sometimes. Butter the skillet lightly before placing the dough on it.
Can I make scones?
Flatten the dough a bit more and cut it into scones. Bake them in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, checking after 10 minutes already. The scones’ bottom side should sound hollow.
How to store?
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.
What to serve with it?
- Anything you like. I love a slice of warm yogurt bread slathered with butter, and either sprinkled with salt or topped with a good jam. Try it with the Peach Jam or the Lemon Jelly, for instance.
- Make sandwiches with cheese, deli meats, spreads, avocado, vegetables, and so on.
- I love to bake a fresh loaf to serve with soup, such as German Lentil Soup, Carrot Soup, or Irish Potato Soup. Any soup you want, actually.
More recipes for St. Patrick’s Day
Easy Yogurt Soda Bread
Learn how to make yogurt soda bread, a delicious Irish bread using just a few ingredients, and ready in about 40 minutes.
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Servings: 12
Calories: 167kcal
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour + 1-2 extra tablespoons 8.8 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 degrees Fahrenheit/ 220 degrees Celsius. 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.
- Wet ingredients: Combine yogurt, honey, and olive oil in another bowl.
- 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.
- Cut a deep cross with a serrated knife.
- Bake the soda bread at a high temperature for 15 minutes.
- Reduce temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/ 200 degrees Celsius. 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
- A digital kitchen scale will give you the most precise measure ensuring the best bake possible.
- Or 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, and 1 tablespoon flaxseed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 425mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2mg
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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)
Poppy says
Best soda bread ever! It came together perfectly with your detailed instructions. Beautiful rise, beautiful crumb, absolutely delicious!