Sweet Irish Soda Bread
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 19, 2025 
Sweet Irish Soda Bread Recipe – Two tender loaves of slightly sweet soda bread are speckled with raisins and caraway for the perfect Saint Patrick’s Day treat. Enjoy with a generous pat of butter any time of day!
Why We Love This Irish Soda Bread Recipe
The flavor of this Sweet Irish Soda Bread recipe gently balances strong, savory Irish dishes. It’s a rustic quick bread, with a surprisingly delicate and slightly sweet taste.
While I like the appearance of the free-form, cross-topped, savory versions of soda bread, I prefer the sugary note and texture of “loaf pan” varieties.
This is no utilitarian loaf. It’s a loaf with a sense of warmth and personality. Juicy raisins and vibrant caraway seeds make each slice a surprising treat, perfect for saying “goodbye” to winter and welcoming the spring season.
After testing numerous dry, crumbly versions, I believe I’ve finally found a winner.
This Sweet Irish Soda Bread, adapted from Brother Rick Curry’s The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking, is my absolute favorite!
Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour – sifted
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Unsalted butter – cut into small cubes
- Buttermilk – for a substitute you can use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar mixed with 1 cup of regular milk for each cup of buttermilk needed
- Egg
- Raisins – I recommend a mixture of dark purple and golden raisins
- Caraway seeds
- Turbinado sugar – raw sugar for sprinkling on top; you can use brown sugar if turbinado is not available
How to Make This Perfectly Sweet Soda Bread with Raisins
The first thing you’ll want to do is soak the raisins in hot water for 15-20 minutes and then drain them well.
Soaking in hot water rehydrates the raisins, which will make them plump and perfectly juicy. Be sure to dry them thoroughly though, so you don’t add extra moisture to the soda bread batter.
Once you’ve got the raisins just right, you can make the bread with these simple steps and just one bowl.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and grease two loaf pans with butter.
In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients (everything except for the turbinado sugar). Next, use your hands to mix in the cubes of butter until the flour mixture is grainy.
Stir in the drained raisins and caraway seeds.
Add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture, and stir well until the dough resembles a thick cake batter.
Equally fill the two loaf pans, and generously sprinkle the tops with the turbinado sugar.
Lastly, bake the loaves for 60-70 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. They will look golden brown.
When done, allow cooling in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. I know it’s difficult because they will smell amazing, but wait until they are cooled before slicing!
NOTE: Buttermilk can have different consistencies, depending on the brand. If your dough is thicker than dense cake batter, don’t worry! Just form the dough into loaves and place it in the pans. No need to add more liquid.
Get the Full (Printable) Sweet Irish Soda Bread Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- To take it to another level, serve this Sweet Irish Soda Bread warm with rich, tangy Irish butter from a specialty food market.
- Enjoy a slice of soda bread with a good cup of strong coffee for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or a delicious, slightly sweet dessert!
- Irish soda bread is leavened with baking soda, so make sure you use fresh (unexpired) baking soda!
- To cut through the hard crust, use a sharp knife!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is traditional Irish soda bread?
Irish soda bread is a quick bread recipe! Unlike other loaves of bread that are usually yeast bread, soda bread is leavened with a leavening agent: baking soda. Hence the name! Generally, traditional Irish soda bread is baked on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or a cast iron skillet and shaped into a loaf shape.
This sweet Irish soda bread recipe varies slightly since it is baked in a loaf pan, but still has the same delicious flavors and textures as more traditional Irish soda bread!
Can I omit the raisins and/or caraway seeds?
You definitely can! Your bread won’t be quite as sweet without the raisins, but neither they nor the caraway is necessary to make this soda bread recipe.
What if I don’t have buttermilk on hand?
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand don’t worry! Follow my buttermilk substitute recipe so you don’t have to go buy a whole carton of buttermilk to make Irish soda bread with raisins!
Is it possible to make just one loaf of bread?
Absolutely. Simply halve the recipe ingredients, and bake your one loaf for 50-60 minutes. Alternatively, you can freeze the extra loaf of your Irish soda bread with raisins for later!
Half a loaf is better than none. – Irish Proverb
Can this soda bread be made gluten-free?
Yes! Swap your favorite gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour. For flavor and texture, I recommend an almond or coconut-based flour instead of rice flour.
How long will this bread last?
This bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can even freeze this recipe for up to 3 months and thaw it in the fridge or at room temperature. Reheat as desired.
Looking for More Perfectly Sweet Bread Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Kahlua Banana Bread
- Fresh Berry Focaccia Bread Recipe
- Hawaiian Luau Bread
- Quick Garlic Knots
- Challah Bread with Apples
- Crazy Bread Recipe (Homemade Breadsticks)
- Ice Cream Bread Recipe (3-Ingredient!)
- Irish Soda Bread with Cherries and Granola Top
- Chunky Chocolate Banana Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins Recipe
- Perfect Homemade Sopapilla Recipe
- Best French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)
Check the printable recipe card below for the prep time, cook time, total time, and nutrition information. Make sure to share this recipe on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Sweet Irish Soda Bread Recipe + Video
Video
Ingredients
- 5 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 cups raisins, mixed light and dark
- 3 tablespoons caraway seeds
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter two 9×5-inch bread pans. Soak the raisins in hot water for 15-20 minutes, then drain well.
- Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut the butter into cubes and mix very thoroughly with the flour, by hand, until it looks grainy. Stir in the drained raisins and caraway seeds.
- Add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture. Stir well. The dough should resemble thick cake batter. Equally fill 2 loaf pans. Then sprinkle the top of each with turbinado sugar to make it shimmery.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool in the pans for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
This is next on my list of bread recipes to make! thank you for sharing!
We enjoyed this sweet soda bread with our afternoon tea and it was delightful! I’ll be making it again soon!
LOVED this recipe!! It was so tasty and easy to make!
Wonderful tasting bread to go with our St Patty’s day meal. Cut the recipe in half and made one loaf. Only modification was to add some cherry infused dried cranberries along with the raisins. It was a big hit and we’re enjoying it today as well!
Easy and amazing!
First time making Irish Soda Bread and this turned out great. This will be perfect with tonight’s corned beef and cabbage! I have just one loaf pan and used my cast iron skillet for the other half of the recipe and they both turned out great. The recipe was so easy and went together quickly. I’ll be making it for more than St. Patrick’s Day! Thanks for sharing this :)
I am sure this is delicious! Just a note – traditional Irish Soda Bread never mixes raisins and caraway seeds together. It’s an either or proposition. As well, the marking of a cross on the top of the loaf is an essential part of the recipe. It’s a mark of St. Patrick and “lets the faeries out”! :) I know your recipe is modified, but my family has been making this, out of Galway, for generations, and now out of Boston. We wouldn’t dream of not having the traditional version in the bread box with marmalade of jam close by! :) Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
My mother made one in a loaf pan with raisins, never caraway seeds and I know she soaked them as well. I just remember it to be moist and slightly sweet. I don’t remember sugar on top either. Unfortunately I can’t find the recipe to compare although I won’t give up the search. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!☘️
I have made this recipe so many times. I omit the caraway seeds because I don’t like the flavor. I did add orange zest to this & I think it truly amps it to another level.
Such a great recipe for the upcoming Irish holiday! Thanks for having a great recipe for us!
This is such a tasty and easy bread recipe!
I’ve been getting into baking recently (thanks COVID) and thought I’d give this recipe a shot. Made this recipe in probably 1.5 hours total for a Christmas devotional for my church with a few modifications (added sliced walnuts to mix, no caraway, topped bread with egg white/granulated sugar/orange juice glaze for the last 10-15 minutes). The result was stunning. My wife and I absolutely loved the bread, and I will be giving some to the in-laws come Christmas. 10/10 would recommend for anyone new to baking who’d like to make something festive :)
I’ve been searching for a tender, moist, sweet soda bread and this exceeded mine and my husband’s expectations. I used half raisins half currants but otherwise followed the recipe. AMAZING.