Irish soda bread is a classic recipe best served with stew. Use up your sourdough discard in this easy, scone-like recipe.
I'm always looking for fresh ways to use my discard - and making special bread for St. Patrick's Day is a great one! And of course you can eat this any time of year, no holiday required.
Since we are using discard, there's no need to take the time for extra proofing or fermentation. You can just mix and go, same as my Sourdough Scones. We just tend to think of scones as a treat and the bread as a holiday item, but make them all, all the time. The family will love it! I serve this bread alongside my Instant Pot Venison Stew. You always need bread to clean out the bowl.
Key Ingredients
Sourdough Discard - Do you always have a jar in the fridge? No matter how often you bake sourdough, I highly recommend refreshing it by pouring some off.
Flour - This is a perfect recipe for using your organic all-purpose flour you keep around.
Buttermilk - I find this works best with true cultured buttermilk, not the "cheater" kind.
Butter - Yum, melted butter adds the fat we need to keep the bread from drying out.
How to Make Classic Irish Soda Bread
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Stir buttermilk into dry ingredients.
Step 2: Add discard and eggs and mix well.
Step 3: The dough should come together with a lovely colour from the eggs and butter.
Step 4: You can shape on a floured surface if that's easier than your bowl.
Step 5: Pat into a round that fits your skillet...
Step 6: ...or divide into four equal parts to make a fun clover shape!
FAQs
This is a very small loaf, so I'd try ⅓ - ½ cup of mix-ins. If using dried fruit, soak it first in warm water to hydrate them. You can definitely play around with it and add whatever you generally like in your scones. You can also add coarse sugar to the top for a fun treat.
Since we are using discard, it's less active than "happy" starter or using yeast. This means we use both baking powder and baking soda to help out.
It's the perfect not too sweet bread, so it's great with soups and stews as a biscuit alternative, which I love because it uses less butter than biscuits, and you can also use a liquid oil if you like. You can make it sweet with some sugar on top or serving with jam, so it's great for a little bite with your morning coffee.
Photos by Megan Hampton
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Sourdough Discard Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulate sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup cultured buttermilk
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- ¼ cup melted butter or oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 10-inch cast iron pan.
- Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix ingredients in a separate bowl to whisk egg well.
- Add wet to dry and combine until just a cohesive, shaggy dough.
- At this point you can bake immediately, or choose to let ferment for 6 hours or so, but it's using discard not active starter so I love this as a "bake now" type of thing.
- Shape the dough into roughly a 6-inch round or divide into four equal pieces to make a clover leaf shape.
- Bake for 15 minutes, turn pan around, bake 5-10 minutes more, until lightly browned.
Notes
- This bread, much like scones, is best served and eaten the day it's made. You can store in an airtight container and toast any leftovers the next day though.
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