Easy Sourdough Irish Soda Bread Recipe

5 from 2 votes

A hearty and delicious Irish soda bread made with sourdough discard. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day! Vegan-friendly ingredient swaps in recipe notes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Breakfast, Bread, Brunch

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: irish brown bread, sourodugh soda bread, soda bread, irish soda bread, soda bread recipe, sourdough discard, vegan soda bread

Servings: servings

Calories: 199kcal

Author: Kaity Farrell

125 g all-purpose flour 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
125 g stoneground whole wheat flour 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
3 g kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon
3 g baking soda 1/2 teaspoon
42 g cold unsalted butter 3 tablespoons
50 g raisins 1/3 cup, optional
7 g caraway seeds 1 tablespoon, optional
100 g sourdough starter discard 100% hydration, 24 hours since feeding - about 7.5 tablespoons
120 g cultured buttermilk 1/2 cup
24 g honey 1 tablespoon

Preheat oven to 400˚F/205˚C.
Mix together the flours, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
Cut the butter into cubes and coat the pieces in the flour mixture. Then use your hands to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized lumps.
Mix the raisins and caraway seeds into the flour mixture at this point if adding them.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, buttermilk, and honey then add the wet mixture to the flour mixture.
Gently fold everything together with your hands or a dough whisk until the mixture is just incorporated into a wet and sticky dough. Be careful not to over-mix the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a parchment paper-lined quarter baking sheet. Dust the dough with flour and shape it into a round.
Cut a 1/2-inch deep cross into the top of the loaf.
Bake the soda bread for about 40 minutes or until it is dark golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom of the loaf. The internal temperature should reach about 200˚F/93˚C.
Remove the soda bread from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

Best eaten the day it's made, but leftover soda bread will keep in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
See the recipe post for vegan-friendly ingredients swaps.
100% hydration sourdough starter means starter that is fed with equal amounts of flour and water by weight.