Grandma's Irish Soda Bread Recipe With Raisins! (2024)

Tis the season for Grandma’s Irish Soda Bread recipe from Ireland and all things St. Patrick’s Day! St. Patrick’s Day is quite the celebration in our Irish house and just as bakers prepare for the Christmas season we begin preparations for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with authentic Irish food. This is a quick and easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe With Raisins that can be made in an hour and add to your Irish celebrations.

What Does Irish Soda Bread Taste Like?

Well. If you have visited Ireland or the UK then you have tasted the real deal. Irish Soda Bread made in America is a wee bit like scones. I have tasted a few versions which resemble door stoppers to go along with their cousins the scone door stoppers.

The baking challenge is to create a bread which is moist on the inside and crunchy on top and with the wrong recipe that can be a challenge.

Irish Soda Bread is not sweet. The raisins add a nice bit of sweetness.

It may be an acquired taste and for me this is a bread which definitely needs a generous helping of jam or butter along with tea or coffee. If you have never had Irish Soda Bread before keep an open mind and remember this is a hearty bread made with basic ingredients, no yeast and has a story behind its’ origination.

Read here for in depth scoop on Irish Soda Bread.

On with the baking!

How To Make Grandma’s Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1.5 cups raisins

1 1/3 cup buttermilk

4 tbsp. melted butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Irish Soda Bread Raisin Tip!

Have you ever bitten into bread or a muffin with raisins and hit the raisin masquerading as a rock! Yikes!

This is not only an unpleasant sweet or savory experience but could be a dental breaking bite and noone wants that to happen.

I’m not sure where I ran into this tip (am I the last to know?), but the key to moist raisins is soaking the raisins.

Prior to the beginning of any recipe with raisins measure out the raisins and soak the raisins in a bowl.

Ideally I like to soak the raisins for at least an hour, but just a 1/2 hour will help keep the raisins moist.

Soak the raisins.

Don’t forget to drain the raisins.

I use a trusty piece of paper towel. Simply lay the paper towel on top of the bowl with the soaked raisins and invert the bowl over the sink.

Voila! The raisins are ready to use.

Directions

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.
2. Mix the wet ingredients together.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Fold in the drained raisins.
5. Grease a round baking dish. Gently spoon bread into the baking dish. I used an Irish Soda Bread baking dish received as a gift, but any size solid baking dish will work.
6. I might add I absolutely love this baking dish whether for many dishes not just Irish Soda Bread.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes ish. I know ish! again with the baking.
8. With confidence the bread can be baked for 40 minutes before checking. My oven runs hot so when I checked the Grandma’s Irish Soda Bread at 40 minutes the top was nicely browned and it appeared the bread could be done.
9. No! Used the ever accurate toothpick check and the interior of the bread was not done. I then baked the bread for another 10 minutes and the bread was nicely browned on top and baked throughout.

If you are in a hurry there are mixes for the Irish Soda Bread Recipe too!

More Recipes From Grandma!

Grandma’s Mac N Cheese

Grandma’s Hungarian Goulash (even though Grandma was Irish)