Our Best of All Things Irish Maine featured two special Irish Soda Bread recipes, one more traditional, and one gluten-free.  The full recipes are featured below for your baking pleasure.  Enjoy!

Katie’s Irish Soda Bread (Traditional)

Katie Earley’s recipe is best baked 1 or 2 10” cake pans (well-greased and floured) or a cast iron pan.  You may use a bread mixer to prepare if you like. She wishes with all her heart that you enjoy this recipe, and she shares it with love. The sour cream is her secret ingredient so give it a try!

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beat

4 cups bread flour

½ to 1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

2-3 cups raisins

2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients until blended.
  2. Spray grease and flour the bottom and sides of 1 or 2 10” cake pans, or a cast iron pan.
  3. Put dough into pans halfway full, then sprinkle flour on top of bread in the shape of a cross. 
  4. Press with a floured finger ½ inch deep into the dough making the shape of a cross and lovingly say a little prayer it comes out good for those you are cooking for – family, friends or strangers.
  5. Bake at 350 for 65-75 minutes – it’s done when you tap the top and it sounds hollow, or when a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the bread. If you baked it in one pan, it may need to cook a little longer. Place it on a cooling rack, then cut or freeze when it’s cool. It will last 3-4 months in the freezer if it’s tightly sealed.

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

Lyn Carter created this gluten-free recipe for her wife, Lois-Galgay Reckitt. After much research, she found that the secret ingredient is sweet rice flour. This recipe also calls for caraway seeds – your choice to include them or not, the bread is wonderful either way. This recipe makes one loaf.

Vegetable shortening, for pan

White rice flour, for pan

Wet Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups buttermilk

Dry Ingredients

3 ½  cups white rice flour

½ cup sweet rice flour

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ cup potato starch

5 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

1/2 cups raisins

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and rice flour 9-inch springform pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, eggs, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. (Use high speed on a handheld mixer or medium-high on a stand mixer.) Stir in half the dry ingredients. (Use low speed on a handheld or stand mixer). Stir in the buttermilk until thoroughly combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and the caraway seeds and raisins; mix for 1 minute.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake about 1 hour or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
  5. Place pan on a wire rack to cool, 5 minutes. Remove bread from pan and allow to cool completely on rack.