Irish Oatmeal Soda Bread ~ I’ve made this authentic Irish quick bread even more delicious with the addition of oat flour…you won’t find an easier, or more tasty quick bread anywhere ~ it’s ready in under an hour!
Soda bread is a traditional Irish bread made without yeast, and leavened with baking soda and buttermilk
It’s been made on a daily basis for generations. This bread has a unique texture and a charming simplicity. Maybe you fist encounter it when you’re putting together a St. Patrick’s Day menu, but once you try it, it will become one of those recipes you turn to again and again. Bread this quick and easy doesn’t come along every day.
I’ve used one of my favorite ingredients to bump up the flavor and texture of this Irish oatmeal soda bread ~ oat flour!
It’s naturally sweet, and adds so much to almost anything you bake. And guess what? You don’t need to go out and buy anything special, you can whip up your own by processing regular oats, either rolled or steel cut, in a food processor or high speed blender. I used my Vitamix and it took less than a minute. The resulting flour is silky and really delicious. For more details, check out my post about how to make your own oat flour.
TIP: If you can get past the scraggly looks of this bread, you’re a wise person because you’ll have a wonderful go-to bread recipe that can be hot on your table in less than an hour.
The characteristic cross is cut into the dough with a sharp knife just before baking to allow the bread to rise…and to let the fairies escape!
what to serve with soda bread
- Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder
- Finnish Salmon Soup
- Mushroom and Brie Soup
- Potato Soup with Bratwurst
Irish Oatmeal Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk (possibly a little bit more)
Instructions
- Set oven to 425F
- Whisk the flours, salt, and soda together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, and add about 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk. Gradually mix the flour and buttermilk, adding the remaining buttermilk if your dough seems too dry. The dough will have a rough texture to it.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead briefly until it comes together. Form into an 8 inch round disk. Transfer to a baking sheet and cut a cross in the top with a sharp knife.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. It should sound hollow when you rap the bottom.
- Let cool for a few minutes, but then enjoy it while still warm, with some good Irish butter, of course!
notes and variations
- If you want a real treat, Make Your own Butter to have with your bread!
Nutrition
65 Comments
Mary
March 16, 2021 at 12:19 pmThis is a brilliant recipe. Have made it several times ?ince finding it on your site. Stays lovely and moist for a couple of days. But then it makes super toast!
I like the suggestion of a previous commenter for using Guinness as part of the liquid in the recipe – might try it.
Thanks Sue. :))
Sue Moran
March 16, 2021 at 6:26 pmI love your enthusiasm Mary 🙂
Kathy
March 16, 2021 at 7:42 amHello – I can’t wait to try this bread – it sounds delicious. I will try it as written the first time, but wondered what are your thoughts on using a beer (Guinness, perhaps) instead of the buttermilk? Obviously it would give it a different flavor, but I’m interested in your thoughts? Thanks in advance!!
Sue Moran
March 16, 2021 at 7:49 amI haven’t tried it, but I think you should be able to use beer. Let us know how it turns out!
Morgana
February 23, 2021 at 3:48 pmLoving this recipe for today. I have barley flour left over from another bake, and no oatmeal flour, so I’ll use that. I’m also adding in about 3/4 cup of currants. Baking this in two cast-iron bread pans. Thanks for the recipe – so far I’m loving the texture of the dough, as when I’ve made this in the past the dough was just impossible to work with, shape, and bake well. It was such a mess. I’m always afraid to over-knead, and I think I end up not kneading enough.
Sue Moran
March 16, 2021 at 6:21 amI bet the barley flour will give it nice flavor.
Elli
August 10, 2020 at 11:17 amI don’t see a temperature listed for the oven! What temperature?
Elli
August 10, 2020 at 11:19 amOh, 425 I’m sorry I must have missed it!
Virginia
May 2, 2020 at 8:47 amHi:
Can you halve this recipe? There are only 2 of us, and I have to make in a toaster oven.
Sue Moran
March 16, 2021 at 6:20 amSure, just be sure to watch the baking time. You can also make it in muffin form!
Kasumi
April 2, 2020 at 5:09 pmNovice baker here! I tried this recipe because I found it after reading your oat flour recipe, but also because it seemed so easy! Didn’t have buttermilk or regular milk, so I attempted a substitute with watered down heavy cream & white vinegar. Unfortunately, my loaf came out quite doughy and dense, and took 3x as long to bake! Do you think the heavy cream was the problem? Would love any other tips, thanks ???
Sue Moran
March 16, 2021 at 6:23 amThe cream could have contributed to the problem, but it also sounds like it didn’t bake through, have you checked your oven temperature with a thermometer?
Kristen
March 31, 2020 at 3:53 pmThis bread is so delicious with butter & jam! Can’t wait to toast it for breakfast tomorrow!
Sue
April 1, 2020 at 8:53 amHomemade bread is the best 🙂
Robyn
March 25, 2020 at 2:39 pmHi Sue
Such a great easy delicious recipe thanks. I’m the only one eating this could I halve the recipe?
Thanks so much be well
Robyn
Sue
March 25, 2020 at 3:24 pmI think that should work fine Robyn.
Robyn Gleason
February 28, 2020 at 12:47 pmSooooo good and super easy to make. I have some digesting issues so it’s nice to finally enjoy some bread without any problems.
Thank you Sue :))
Catherine Dalon
October 13, 2019 at 4:50 pmOh. My. God.
THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you for making REAL soda bread!!! My mom was born in Ireland, she came here after WWII. Real Irish soda bread does NOT HAVE SUGAR IN IT!! It makes me crazy to see recipes using sugar. Nope.
This looks excellent, as are all your recipes.
I would like to try it half oat flour and half white flour.
When I make my moms with whole wheat flour, I use 1 cup white to 3 cups whole wheat.
I can’t wait to try it!!!
Cate Dalton
Sue
October 14, 2019 at 8:42 amSoda bread is such fun to make, I’ve got a couple of other recipes I’m dying to share. I have a whole wheat ‘brown’ soda bread recipe on the blog too!
Karleen Elliott
June 4, 2019 at 8:04 amCan I substitute the buttermilk for water?
Sue
June 4, 2019 at 8:45 amSure, that would be interesting!
Darlene
April 15, 2019 at 2:11 pmI made this recipe last night and you’re right, it was super easy! I added 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds and 2 cups of buttermilk. I bake for 25 minutes but next time I will keep it in longer. There’s nothing like homemade bread and this being so easy with no sugar is perfect for me! It was scrumptious! I wish I could show a picture because it came out really pretty not scraggly at all.
Sue
April 15, 2019 at 2:16 pmThat’s great to hear Darlene, but mine always come out scraggly, you must have done something right!
Darlene
April 13, 2019 at 7:50 pmHi Sue I want to make this recipe but I love caraway seeds. Do you think I can add them without changing the recipe too much?
Sue
April 13, 2019 at 8:16 pmAbsolutely!
Norene
February 19, 2019 at 8:56 pmWhere can i get oat flour?
Sue
February 19, 2019 at 9:13 pmMost large supermarkets sell oat flour in the flour aisle, or in the health food section. You can find it online, and also make it yourself, just take rolled oats and process them with a food processor or high speed blender until they become finely ground.
Ofelia Arias
February 23, 2021 at 5:38 amCan I use only oat flour?
Sue Moran
February 23, 2021 at 6:07 amI haven’t tried Ofelia, but if it were me I’d experiment with using more oat flour but still retaining some wheat flour for structure and texture.
Deb
October 5, 2018 at 6:14 amI just made this yesterday after looking for an authentic recipe when we returned from a vacation in Ireland. So glad I found your recipe! I did tweak it a bit, used 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup of “Irish” flour (from King Arthur) which is a grainy wheat flour and 1 cup of oat flour. I also added about 1/3 cup of quick cook steel cut oats (McCann’s) and rolled old-fashioned oats combined. I loved finding the recipe without sugar. Used all your proportions and made it in a loaf pan, and we love it! I didn’t think 30 minutes would be long enough, but it was perfect. So far just with butter (Irish!) and warm from the pan, but can’t wait to try toasted with jams. Thank you for the keeper!
Sue
October 5, 2018 at 5:48 pmI’m thrilled that this bread lived up to your Irish experience, that’s the highest compliment 🙂
Cody Johnson
October 2, 2018 at 8:13 amCAN YOU USE ONLY OAT FLOUR TO MAKE THIS BREAD?
Sue
October 2, 2018 at 8:17 amNo, you’ve got lots of options…you can use all plain flour, or you can substitute another whole grain flour for the oat flour, like whole wheat for instance.
Lise
August 27, 2018 at 12:22 pmHi,
Can you make this soda bread with gluten free flour?
Georgiana Stroe
February 24, 2018 at 11:11 pmHi Sue, can I use simple yogurt instead of buttermilk? Thank You.
Sue
February 25, 2018 at 7:47 amI think that should work fine, Georgiana, you might want to thin it down with a little milk first.
Tracy
February 20, 2018 at 2:21 amHas anyone tried this using half oat flour and half ap floor? Trying to scale back my wheat consumption, but unsure how much effect that would have on the texture.
Donna
November 8, 2017 at 3:45 pmHi Sue, I live on the most northerly point in Ireland, Malin Head, where leprechauns jump out of the bread, not fairies!! ? DQ
Sue
November 8, 2017 at 7:45 pmlol 🙂
Jo Warren
September 20, 2017 at 8:18 pmI have made this for years, both as a loaf and as individual buns. I like your oat flour idea but my recipe uses the old fashioned oats. I leave them soaking in the buttermilk overnight before I make the bread. The time makes for a sour dough flavor which is wonderful when you make toast from it.
Sue
November 8, 2017 at 7:46 pmLove the soaking idea, Jo, I can’t wait to experiment with it, thanks.
Meraiah
September 9, 2017 at 11:38 amI made this using Almond milk and rice vinegar as well as using half salt and half salt substitute. instead of kneading after I added liquid I just folded the mixture until incorporated and then a few extra times as the baking soda/ vinegar reaction gave it a lift so to speak. Makes a good Vegan alternative. Turned out well.
I don’t drink milk and am allergic to yeast and eggs so always looking for alternatives.
Sue
September 9, 2017 at 12:35 pmThanks for that feedback Meraiah, it’s so valuable to my vegan readers!
Priscilla
March 10, 2019 at 6:48 pmHello!
Have you tried very fresh eggs from your own chickens? Many folks who think they’re allergic to eggs find they can tolerate farm fresh eggs just, fine, myself included 🙂
Ben Maclain|Havocinthekitchen
March 19, 2017 at 4:57 pmThis bread looks perfect! I’ve been planning to make Irish soda bread for a number of years, and this post is another sign I shouldn’t wait for another few years:) Well done!
Sue
March 19, 2017 at 5:58 pmI was the same way Ben, I thought it didn’t sound very appealing at first, but I’m a total convert, the texture is wonderful, and you can’t beat how easy it is!
Janet
March 19, 2017 at 10:21 amMy husband loves raisins in his soda bread. Can I add some raisins to this bread, and how many should I use? Thank you!
Jackie P
February 23, 2021 at 5:49 amYes I also love raisins in my bread. Would love to know how it effects the bake.
Sue Moran
February 23, 2021 at 6:07 amYou can definitely add raisins to this bread, it would be delish!
maria
March 19, 2017 at 6:54 amOh I love the idea of using oats for this!
monika
March 18, 2017 at 4:13 pmcan we use homemade buttermilk for this? if so, how much milk to vinegar/lemon juice?!??!
Sue
March 18, 2017 at 5:37 pmI don’t see why you couldn’t use homemade buttermilk, which is generally one cup milk to one or two tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar. But I’m partial to the cultured buttermilk you can buy in stores, it’s thick and has great flavor.
Marissa
March 18, 2017 at 11:57 amI’ve been meaning to make soda bread for ages and this looks perfect! I love the addition of oat flour.
cakespy
March 18, 2017 at 7:34 amYummy yummy get in my tummy!! This looks amazing!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
March 18, 2017 at 4:18 amLove the addition of oat flour! Must give great flavour and the texture looks perfect 🙂
MARGARET ANNE MILLER
March 17, 2017 at 5:54 pmThis looks and sounds lovely……can I get oat flour in the UK? Or can I substitute another flour instead?
Sue
March 17, 2017 at 6:07 pmI bet you can get it, Margaret, but it’s also so easy to make it, just take regular rolled oats and process them into flour in a food processor or high speed blender. It takes just seconds!
Sue
March 17, 2017 at 6:07 pmAnd yes, you can substitute whole wheat, or any other flour you like…
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
March 17, 2017 at 3:48 pmLooks so simple and delicious!
Sue
March 17, 2017 at 4:17 pmIt’s almost unbelievable how simple these breads are ~ Happy St. Paddy’s Day Karen!
[email protected] is How I Cook
March 17, 2017 at 2:42 pmThis is so simple there is no reason not to indulge. And indulge I will!
Laura | Tutti Dolci
March 17, 2017 at 10:18 amI love the addition of oat flour, this looks fantastic!
[email protected]'s Recipes
March 17, 2017 at 9:44 amSoda bread is definitely one of my favourite quick breads. Yours with oat flour sounds and looks awesome, Sue.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
March 17, 2017 at 9:03 amI sure wish I had a slice or two of this today! The texture looks fantastic. Certainly my favorite way to celebrate all things Irish!
Sue
March 17, 2017 at 9:20 amThanks Tricia, and I know I sound like a broken record, but it makes the BEST TOAST!