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This mini Irish soda bread is a no-yeast loaf with a crisp crust and tender crumb. Made with simple ingredients, it’s easy to prepare and perfect served warm with butter or alongside soups and stews.
Featured Comment
“I have made this many times exactly how you wrote it. It is very, very good.”
– Donna
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No Yeast Needed: Simple to make with clear, easy steps.
- Quick to Prepare: Fresh bread that bakes in under an hour.
- Versatile: Delicious with soups, stews, or a pat of butter.
- Customizable: Add currants, caraway seeds, or adjust sweetness.
- Traditional: Brings the taste of Irish heritage to your table.r table.
Irish Soda Bread is one of my favorites for its simplicity and tradition. This mini version has a crisp crust, tender crumb, and balanced flavor. With buttermilk for a slight tang, you can mix, shape, and bake – no yeast or long waits required.
Serve this small loaf of Irish Soda Bread with a bowl of Irish stew for one or colcannon for one or enjoy it with your morning tea or coffee topped with a dollop of homemade refrigerator jam.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small Irish soda bread recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the bread, giving it structure and softness. Use a gluten-free all-purpose blend if needed.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds light sweetness. Reduce or omit for a less sweet loaf.
- Salt: Brings out the bread’s flavor.
- Baking Soda: Reacts with buttermilk to make the bread rise. Make sure it’s fresh.
- Cold Salted Butter: Adds richness and moisture. If using unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt.
- Raisins, Currants, or Caraway Seeds (Optional): aisins or currants give a sweet chew; caraway seeds add mild spice. Leave out if you prefer. Extra raisins can be used in small batch hermit cookies, small batch oatmeal raisin cookies or small batch cream scones.
- Egg Yolk: Adds richness and golden color. Save the white for egg white recipes like small batch meringues or mini Texas sheet cake.
- Buttermilk: Provides acidity to work with baking soda for lift. No buttermilk? Mix ½ cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar; let sit 10 minutes. Leftover buttermilk can be used in mini buttermilk pie, buttermilk quick bread, small batch butter swim biscuits, or chicken nuggets for one.
Recipe Variations
Try these tasty soda bread variations:
- Fruit-Filled: Add raisins, currants, or other dried fruit.
- Herb-Infused: Stir in chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.
- Seed-Topped: Sprinkle sesame, pumpkin, or sunflower seeds on top before baking.
- Cheesy: Mix in shredded cheddar or Parmesan.
How To Make Irish Soda Bread
These photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a small loaf of Irish Soda Bread. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Cut in cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins if using.
- In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and buttermilk, then pour into the dry ingredients.
- Gently mix until just combined. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, knead briefly, and shape into a round loaf.
- Place on a baking sheet and score a ½-inch-deep “X” on top with a sharp knife.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom.
Expert Tips
- Mix Well: Blend dry ingredients thoroughly before adding buttermilk for even flavor and texture.
- Handle Lightly: Keep the dough shaggy, not smooth. Minimal handling makes the bread tender.
- Score the Top: Cut a deep “X” to help the bread bake evenly.
- Check Early: Start checking a few minutes before the bake time ends, as ovens vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Irish soda bread is a quick bread made without yeast. It uses baking soda and buttermilk for leavening, resulting in a tender and flavorful loaf with a crisp crust.
No. This bread rises from the reaction between baking soda and buttermilk, so no yeast or proofing time is needed.
Yes. Mix ½ cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes before using.
Wrap the cooled bread tightly in foil or plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Yes. Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
RELATED: Best Soup Recipes For One
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this Irish soda bread recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes
If you’ve tried this small Irish soda bread recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Mini Irish Soda Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cold salted butter cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup raisins (optional)
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Cut in cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins if using.
- In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and buttermilk, then pour into the dry ingredients. Gently mix until combined.
- Turn onto a lightly floured surface, knead briefly, and shape into a 4-inch circle. Tip: Add a little more flour if the dough is sticky.
- Place on a baking sheet and score a ½-inch-deep “X” on top with a sharp knife.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom.Tip: If the top browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
- Let the bread cool slightly, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Mix Well: Blend dry ingredients thoroughly before adding buttermilk for even flavor and texture.
- Handle Lightly: Keep the dough shaggy, not smooth. Minimal handling makes the bread tender.
- Score the Top: Cut a deep “X” to help the bread bake evenly.
- Check Early: Start checking a few minutes before the bake time ends, as ovens vary.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I substituted rosemary for raisins. Great flavor. Outside was brown and tough after 15 minutes. Took it out of 425 degree oven and to my surprise, the inside was already done. It was still edible. What did I do wrong? Will it help to lower the temp? Really would like to get it to work, it’s reaĺly good!
Swapping rosemary for raisins sounds like a tasty twist! It seems your oven might be running hotter than it indicates. Try lowering the temperature next time. This should help achieve a more even cooking without over-browning the outside.
I don’t like raisins can I omit completely or include other dried fruits.
Absolutely, you can easily leave the raisins out if they’re not to your taste. This Irish soda bread recipe is super flexible! You can also swap in other dried fruits like dried cranberries or chopped apricots to give it your own twist.
The Irish Soda Bread was delicious with the baked fish and salad. My guests loved it!
Wonderful! I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it all.
At what temperature should the oven be?
Heat the oven to 425 F (220 C) – Step 1 in the recipe box.
how would I adjust the cooking time for muffin size servings?
We have not adapted this recipe to make muffins.
Good morning! I am so happy I found you and use your recipes all the time!
For this soda brad, would it be alright to substitute plain Greek yogurt for the buttermilk?
Thank you,
Catherine
Hi Catherine, I have not tested this recipe with Greek yogurt as a substitute for buttermilk.
Just tried this tonight, literally the first time I’ve ever made bread myself. I did have to add more flour as it was very wet, and the crust is pretty hard. Added just about 2 T caraway seeds because I’m craving that flavor. The warm bread is so delicious with butter and dipped into soup broth!
Thanks for this!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the bread, Julie. Thank you for your feedback.
I found it wet also, probably because her flour measurement is off. 1 cup of flour is about 128 grams, not 140 as listed in the metric. Digging into the flour ( a no no) will increase the amount. I’ve made it several times and it is good. I add additional raisins and I love it with chocolate chips.
A very nice mini loaf. Just another great recipe. I do add additional raisins and brush the top with beaten egg yolk and water. My concern is that 1 cup of flour (measured correctly) is not 140 grams. It’s about 128 grams. With the 1 cup of flour the dough is sticky so additional flour is needed on the hands. I think the metric amount needs to be tweaked. Thanks for a good recipe.
I was looking at your Irish Soda Bread and it says you can use or leave out the Caraway Seeds. I would like to use them, but the recipe doesn’t show an amount that would be required. Thank you.
Hi Raymond, I don’t usually use caraway seeds but if you’d like to add them I would suggest using about 1/2 teaspoon which should give a subtle caraway flavor. Of course, feel free to add a bit more if you’d like a stronger flavor.
Thank you for taking time to answer my question.
Joanie,
I’m just discovering your site and recipes. What you do is beautiful and well done. I feel like I’ve just discovered a precious and perfect gold mine. Also, your logo is the BEST!
Blessings on your continued success.
Vicki Shellenberger