Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Making bread is a fantastic way to get kids in the kitchen, learning about chemistry and science in a tasty, hands on way! We love baking fresh bread and have had a lot of fun exploring the science (chemistry specifically) behind bread and how different recipes create different tastes or textures in our loaf of bread. This time we are exploring Irish Soda Bread.

EASY IRISH SODA BREAD SCIENCE

What you will discover in this article!

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe - Plus History Lesson & Science Experiment (1)

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Irish Soda Bread History

There is some really cool history and science behind this Irish Soda Bread recipe. Irish means it comes from Ireland. Have you ever been to Ireland? Perhaps you have seen pictures or heard stories. If not, this is a great opportunity to learn a little bit about this amazing country as you make this delicious bread recipe.

Ireland is a country that gets a lot of rain. This makes their climate damp with high humidity. Under these conditions you can not grow a robust, protein rich wheat which we use for most yeast bread recipes. The wheat they grow in Ireland is called a soft wheat. When you use yeast to rise a bread dough made with soft wheat, the gas bubbles rupture, destroying the dough structure. This makes the bread deflate because the soft wheat doesn’t have the strength created by gluten to hold the bubbles.

We learned about the importance of gluten in our White Bread Loaf science lesson.

So what can we do to make a nice loaf of bread with soft wheat? Science is the answer and it’s a reaction we know all too well here at STEAM Powered Family. We’ve done lots of acid-base reaction experiments, and always have so much fun with them. Doing it to make a delicious, easy bread recipe? Now that is some awesome bread science!

Yeast Free Bread Science

So if we can’t use yeast to make our bread rise, what can we use? It’s true that most bread recipes use yeast as their leavening agent (to make it puff up and rise while baking), but there is a whole group of breads that use other leavening agents. In this Irish Soda Bread recipe the agent used is sodium bicarbonate combined with a weak acid, in this case buttermilk.

NOTE: Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate is the term used in Ireland, so to stay true to form, we are going to use that term from now on. Just swap it out for baking soda if you live in North America.

In the sodium bicarbonate molecule there are 3 oxygen atoms, one carbon atom, one hydrogen atom and a sodium atom. Water will break down the bonds of these molecules and if you add an acid, like the lactic acid in buttermilk, a reaction occurs creating bubbles. These bubbles are actually trapped carbon dioxide gas (CO2), just like in our other acid base experiments. The carbon dioxide gas is what makes this Irish Soda Bread rise.

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe - Plus History Lesson & Science Experiment (2)

More Acid Base Reactions

We have done a lot of experimentation with acids and bases in the past. Just a few examples include Bottle Rockets, Hatching Dino Eggs, Magic Colour Changing Oobleck, Lemon Volcanoes, Slime Volcano, and of course, Bath Bombs! We even did an entire experiment just testing acid and base reactions.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups of cake flour (this is a soft wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
14 ounces of buttermilk
A large mixing bowl
Bread mat
A greased 9×13 pan (we greased ours with butter)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 425F/218C.

Mix the flour, sodium bicarbonate, and salt together. Slowly stir in the buttermilk with a large spoon.

When the dough starts to come together turn it out onto the bread mat and using your hands gently shape the dough into a ball.

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe - Plus History Lesson & Science Experiment (10)

You want to be very careful at this stage. This is a no knead bread. If you knead it, it will break the bubbles and your bread will not rise while baking. In this picture you can see the bubbles in our dough.

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe - Plus History Lesson & Science Experiment (11)

Simply shape it then use a knife to make a cross cut. This helps control any cracking in the crust of the bread as it bakes.

Put the dough in the greased pan and bake in the oven at 425 for 40 minutes.

Remove, cool and enjoy.

Check out the bubbles you can still see in the bread!

Note On Storing Irish Soda Bread

This bread is quick to make but it also doesn’t keep fresh for longer than a day. It is best to make it shortly before you wish to eat it. It goes wonderfully with a bowl of hearty stew or soup!

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe - Plus History Lesson & Science Experiment (13)

Bread Making from a STEM Box

Check out this fun Dough Lab STEM kit we did. It was so much fun, and everything comes in the box, just add warm water and a curious, hungry, kid!

Get your dough lab kit here:

More Edible Science For Kids

5 from 1 vote

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

This delicious Irish Soda Bread recipe is so easy to make! Learn the history of Irish Soda Bread, a bit about Ireland, plus the science behind the chemical reaction that causes this no yeast, no knead, bread to rise.

Supplies

4cupscake flour (soft wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate soda or sodium bicarbonate)
1tspsalt
14ozbuttermilk

Instructions

Heat the oven to 425F/218C.
Mix the flour, sodium bicarbonate, and salt together. Slowly stir in the buttermilk with a large spoon.
When the dough starts to come together turn it out onto the bread mat and using your hands gently shape the dough into a ball.
You want to be very careful at this stage. This is a no knead bread. If you knead it, it will break the bubbles and your bread will not rise while baking.
Simply shape it then use a knife to make a cross cut. This helps control any cracking in the crust of the bread as it bakes.
Put the dough in the greased pan and bake in the oven at 425 for 40 minutes.
Remove, cool and enjoy.

Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe - Plus History Lesson & Science Experiment (2024)

FAQs

What is the science behind Irish soda bread? ›

When the acid of the buttermilk reacts to the baking soda, tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide leaven the bread. Using chemical reactions to make this tasty treat is a great way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day — soda bread has been made in Ireland since at least 1836!

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What is the short but fascinating history of Irish soda bread? ›

While soda bread is most famously attributed to Ireland, it was actually first created by Native Americans. They were the first to be documented using pearl ash, a natural form of soda formed from the ashes of wood, to leaven their bread without yeast. The Irish later discovered and replicated the process.

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What is the chemical reaction in Irish soda bread? ›

The basic ingredients of soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added, such as butter, egg, raisins, or nuts.

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What is the folklore of Irish soda bread? ›

I was always told that the cross on the top of Irish Soda Bread was to symbolize the Catholic faith of Ireland, and the Gaelic Cross. Some say it kept the Devil out, but that is what a cross is supposed to do also. Turns out that is true but more importantly, it helps in the baking of the bread.

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Who actually invented soda bread? ›

While soda bread is most famously attributed to Ireland, it was actually first created by Native Americans. They were the first to be documented using pearl ash, a natural form of soda formed from the ashes of wood, to leaven their bread without yeast.

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What's the difference between Irish bread and Irish soda bread? ›

Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like while Irish brown bread is more savory with a tender interior.

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Do people in Ireland eat Irish soda bread? ›

Most Americans probably know by now that St. Patrick's Day is amore festive holiday here than in Ireland, where locals are morelikely to observe the holiday by going to church instead ofdrinking green beer and eating corned beef and cabbage. They do, however, eat Irish soda bread in Ireland.

How many days is Irish soda bread good for? ›

Tightly wrap your leftover bread and place it in an airtight container. There's no need to refrigerate. As for how long soda bread lasts: Irish soda bread tends to dry out faster than other breads. The bread will be good for 3-4 days or up to three months if frozen.

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Is Irish soda bread bad for you? ›

Nutrition Notes

Whole-wheat soda bread is a healthy addition to your plate! One serving—a 1/2-inch-thick slice—provides complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals.

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Why is my Irish soda bread sticky? ›

Your dough can become sticky when you add too much water or the flour isn't suitable for the type of dough you are making. Over proofing or fermenting the dough can also result in the gluten structure weakening causing sticky dough.

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Why is my Irish soda bread dry? ›

It's important to remember no to overmix your ingredients. Irish Soda Bread is a dense bread, similar to a scone, but can easily become dry if overmixed. Quickly add the wet ingredients to a well you've made in the dry ingredients, and mix with your hands or a dough hook until it just comes together.

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How are you supposed to eat Irish soda bread? ›

How to Eat Irish Soda Bread. This versatile bread works for any meal, but Irish soda bread is a natural for breakfast, whether simply spread with (Irish) butter and jam or alongside that hearty fry-up known as a full Irish breakfast. It's also wonderful with a cup of tea in the afternoon or as a late-night snack.

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What's the difference between sourdough and Irish soda bread? ›

The main difference between sourdough bread and soda bread is in its leavening agent – sourdough bread rises due to the gasses released from yeast and bacteria fermentation, while soda bread rises from the gasses produced during the chemical interaction between baking soda and acids in the dough.

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How do you eat traditional Irish soda bread? ›

The slices are delicious simply spread with butter, jam, or marmalade. This bread can be toasted, too. Soda bread can be paired with any meal of the day. You can even bake it without the raisins to make a loaf to serve with savory dishes like soup, meat dishes, or to use for sandwiches.

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Why does soda bread work? ›

Those loaves featured Irish wheat and buttermilk—either the by-product of butter making, or in the days before refrigeration, sour milk that needed to be used up. The lactic acid in the buttermilk reacts with the alkali baking soda to create carbon dioxide, which in turn causes the bread to rise.

What makes Irish soda bread dense? ›

Because soda bread is not yeasted bread, kneading it just makes it dense and hard. To develop its trademark soft crumb, you touch the dough as little as possible while shaping it. If you prefer a chewier kneaded bread texture but don't want to put in all that work, try our easy No-Knead Bread recipe.

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Why does Irish soda bread fall apart? ›

Why is it Crumbly? Using too much flour and too little buttermilk can cause your traditional soda bread to turn out more crumbly than it should be.

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Why does Irish soda bread not need yeast? ›

The Irishmen learned to adapt to this climate by growing soft wheat that is lower in gluten. The type of flour from this wheat is not compatible with the yeast to make the dough rise; thus, they use baking soda instead to make the famed Irish Soda Bread.

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