Adapted from Emily Raffa’s adaptation which was adapted from Ina Gartner’s recipe.
This is a great Sourdough recipe if you need to make it fast and don’t have a Dutch oven, like many of my recipes.
The Irish started making this bread with commercial yeast in the 1830’s without sugar or raisins. It was a quick cheap bread to make during Ireland’s times of hardship. They even could bake it in iron pots over a hearth if they didn’t have an oven.
To make the bread as the Irish do, don’t add the sugar or raisins. I like the sugar and raisins.
370 g organic all purpose flour
40 g granulated sugar
5 g baking soda
7 g fine sea salt
60 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
165g buttermilk
200 g sourdough starter discard or active sourdough starter
135 g raisins
Preheat oven to 375 F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter, a few cubes at a time, and mix until incorporated. If you don’t have a stand mixer you can use a pastry cutter to mix the above ingredients. It will take longer, then add the rest later. It’s a much stickier dough then beginner Sourdough bakers are used to.
Lightly beat the egg, buttermilk, and sourdough discard together in a separate bowl.
Working in batches, gradually add the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture.
Add the raisins. Mix to combine; the dough will be wet and sticky.
Scoop the dough onto a well floured surface. Knead it a few times into a round ball. With a serrated knife, cut an “x” into the top.
Bake on the center rack for 45-55 minutes. If necessary, cover the loaf with foil at the 40 minute mark to prevent over browning. The soda bread is finished when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. The bottom should sound hollow when you give it a knock.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Happy St. Paddy’s Day!