Traditional Irish Soda Bread contains flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk. 

In the US, we eat Irish Soda Bread around St. Patrick’s Day.  Our version of the bread is different.  It usually includes sugar and raisins.  It may also include butter, baking powder and eggs.  Our version is sweeter and more cake-like.

The version below is made the American way, but with half white whole wheat flour.  It’s less "cake-like" than the traditional American version, but still has raisins and some sugar.

Recipe for American Irish Soda Bread (with Whole Wheat Flour)

Ingredients

1 cup White Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Multipurpose Flour
1/2 t. Salt
1 t. Baking Soda
3 T. Sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cups Raisins
1 Egg
1 cup Buttermilk or Milk
4 T. Melted Butter

Preheat Oven to 375 F.

1. Grease a cookie sheet.

2. Mix together Multipurpose Flour, White Whole Wheat Flour, Salt, Baking Soda and Sugar.

3.  Stir in Raisins.

4. Whisk together the Egg, Melted Butter and Buttermilk.  Then add the wet mixture to the dry mixture.

5.   Stir until combined. It should be sticky and moist.

6.  Pour the batter onto the middle of the cookie sheet making it a round shaped mound about 7 inches wide. 

7.  Take a sharp knife and make an "X" in the center of the bread.

8.  Bake about 25 minutes until golden.  It’s done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the loaf.

Happy Saint Patty’s Day!

Mama Lisa

UPDATE: I originally made this recipe with regular milk. It was yummy, but less like traditional American Irish Soda Bread. (It was less cake-like.) After some experimentation, I came up with a recipe still using whole wheat flour but tasting closer to the traditional American Irish Soda Bread. Check it out at the link!