Soda Bread – A Rainy Irish Souvenir
Ireland is no country for people with umbrellas!
What you really need is a heavy-duty rain poncho, proper waterproof pants, and boots that won’t let a single drop in — especially when you’ve got a 20-minute walk to work.
We spent the summer along the Ring of Kerry — a place so breathtaking it almost hurts when it’s hidden behind fog. And it often was. Rain, wind, rainbow, more rain, five minutes of sunshine… then back to rain. Weather forecasts here? A joke. Or maybe science fiction.
We lived in Waterville — a small, charming town with one grocery store, loads of Gaelic Football fans, and… a statue of Charlie Chaplin, who used to vacation here. You could say we shared the summer season with a silent film legend.
We worked, we walked, we occasionally got soaked to the bone — and we rediscovered soda bread.
A Pinch of History
This story could start like a fairytale:
Once upon a time, in a land of green fields, grey skies, and potatoes growing everywhere, a humble creation emerged — one that would become a true Irish kitchen hero: soda bread.
The Irish, lacking both ovens and time to wait for sourdough to wake up from its nap, came up with something brilliant. Flour, buttermilk, a pinch of salt, and baking soda. Voilà — bread ready faster than rain can fall on Dublin. No kneading, no waiting. Perfect for hard times and big appetites. And those were plentiful.
That’s when soda bread became a national hero. It nourished, it comforted, it brought people together. And when the Irish set off across the world — to America, Australia, anywhere hope could be found — they took the recipe with them. Because soda bread is more than food. It’s home.
And maybe a little bit of magic.
Or, well… science?
When baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) meets acidic buttermilk, a chemical reaction kicks in. Carbon dioxide is released, causing the dough to rise. No yeast, no sourdough, no waiting. Just pure chemistry — the comfort food edition. Like a science experiment that ends in breakfast.
Today, soda bread is a classic. Scored with a cross — for even baking, or, as legends say, to let the fairies escape. Simple and delicious. Best served with a generous slab of Irish butter.
For us, it’s more than just a recipe.
It’s a culinary souvenir from Ireland. And those are our favorite kind — better than a fridge magnet.
We bake it when we desperately need bread but don’t feel like waiting for the yeasted kind.
Every journey leaves something behind.
Ours left us with a recipe.
And you know what?
It tastes even better when it’s raining outside.
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
Method
- Cut the pepper and onion into chunks and place them in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt and rosemary, toss well, and set aside to let the flavors mingle.
- Grease your bread pans or baking tins, or line them with parchment paper for easier removal.
- In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
- Add most of the buttermilk, saving a little to adjust the texture later.
- Stir just until the dough comes together — no need to overmix.
- If you still see dry patches of flour, add a bit more buttermilk until everything is fully combined.
- Transfer the dough to the pan and gently press it down with your hand.
- Gently but firmly press the olive oil–coated vegetables into the dough, making sure they’re nicely nestled in.
- Bake at 185°C (365°F) for 40 minutes.
- Carefully remove the bread from the pan and return it to the oven directly on the rack for another 5–10 minutes. It’s ready when the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
