No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread
Rustic and hearty bread made without yeast, using baking soda for rise. This traditional Irish soda bread is quick to prepare, with an aerated, chewy crumb. A combination of white and wholemeal flour gives the best flavor. Perfect served warm for sandwiches, dunking, or toasting.
| Cuisine | Irish |
| Category | Bread |
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Rising Time | 30 minutes |
| Total Time | 45 minutes |
| Servings | 12 servings |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Published | 8/18/2025 |
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 220°C / 430°F (200°C fan). Line a tray with baking paper.
- 2
Whisk together white flour, wholemeal flour, baking soda, and salt.
- 3
Add buttermilk and stir until dough becomes difficult to stir.
- 4
Sprinkle extra flour on work surface, scrape dough out, sprinkle more flour, and gently knead no more than 8 times to form a ball.
- 5
Transfer to tray and pat into a 2.5 cm / 1" thick disc.
- 6
Score a cross 1 cm deep on the surface with a serrated knife.
- 7
Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan) and bake another 20 minutes or until base sounds hollow when tapped.
- 8
Transfer to a rack and cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Information
| Calories | 160 |
| Protein | 5g |
| Carbohydrates | 30g |
| Total Fat | 1g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 4mg |
| Sodium | 490mg |
| Potassium | 139mg |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Sugar | 2g |
| Vitamin A | 65IU |
| Vitamin C | 0mg |
| Calcium | 55mg |
| Iron | 1.6mg |
Recipe Notes
Flour – Using wholemeal flour adds a nutty flavor. Can use just plain flour, but flavor will be more plain. Avoid bread flour; it is unnecessary for this no-yeast bread.
Baking soda – Provides strong rise; three times more powerful than baking powder.
Buttermilk substitute – Mix 1.75 cups full-fat milk + 1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice, let sit 15 minutes. Use slightly less than 2 cups as it is thinner.
Dough stickiness – Use just enough flour to make dough manageable. Stickier dough produces moister bread.
Variations – Mix in oats (up to 1 cup, reduce flour by 1/2 cup), raisins (1 cup), or seeds (pumpkin, linseeds, sesame, sunflower, poppy) up to 1/2 cup. Brush surface with buttermilk and sprinkle toppings as desired.
Serving – Delicious warm, suitable for sandwiches, dunking, toasting, or grilled cheese.
Storage – Keeps 3 days in airtight container, 4–5 days in fridge, or freeze for months.
Nutrition – Per slice, assuming 12 slices.
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