How to Serve Irish Soda Bread

Serving Irish Soda Bread at the Table

Serve Irish soda bread warm. While soda bread is still pretty good at room temperature, it tastes the best when it’s warm. A warmer temperature complements the thick cakey texture of the bread and brings out the hearty flavors, so try serving it freshly baked or toasted. You can also warm up the bread by putting it back in the oven at 350 °F (177 °C) for 7 to 8 minutes. While hot, spread the bread with butter. The butter will melt and soak into the slice.

Slice the loaf of bread. Grab a bread knife and slice the bread lengthwise into pieces that are about ⁄4 in (0.64 cm) thick. This will ensure that the bread is thick enough to stay put without crumbling while you eat it. If you’re tired of eating plain slices, try cutting the bread into quarters or wedges instead.

Set the loaf on the table. If you’re serving this bread with a meal, place the loaf on the table. Your diners can serve themselves as many pieces as they’d like. Serve the bread on a bread boat, a bread plate, or in a bread basket. Add a white linen doily to the basket to help keep the bread warm. Either slice the bread in advance or provide a bread knife so that guests can cut their own slices. If your loaf is crumbly, give your guests small bread plates for their soda bread slices. This will help keep your table clean.

Store the bread in an airtight container. After you and your guests have finished eating, transfer the bread to a new spot. You can plastic wrap the bread onto a dish, place the bread in a resealable bag, or store it in a bread box. If you don’t store the bread in an airtight container, it will quickly become stale. Try to eat your soda bread within 2 to 3 days for the best flavor and texture.

Eating Irish Soda Bread

Eat Irish soda bread with butter. This method of serving is a timeless classic. Slice the loaf of bread while it’s still hot, then spread on a thick layer of room-temperature butter. If the butter is unsalted, sprinkle on a pinch of salt to bring out the creamy flavors. Mash room-temperature butter with freshly cut herbs, like rosemary, to create an aromatic herbal butter. You can use coconut butter or olive oil instead of classic butter for a vegan substitute.

Serve the bread with citrus marmalades. Irish soda bread has a hearty flavor that pairs wonderfully with sweet or bitter citrus marmalades. You can either make your own marmalade or buy some in the jam section of your favorite grocery store. If your loaf isn’t fresh out of the oven, toast the Irish soda bread before adding the marmalade. Berry jams and jellies are also great choices.

Serve a slice with a stew. The thick and hearty nature of Irish soda bread helps it pair very well with meaty stews (especially Irish stew). You can use it to soak up the juices as you eat or as a vehicle for the meat and vegetables. Traditionally, Irish soda bread is served with a slow-simmered beef and barley stew. You can make your own beef and barley stew or buy it ready-made at a gourmet grocery store.

Dip your soda bread into soup. Nothing pairs better with a bowl of minestrone soup than a buttery piece of soda bread. Use a slice to soak up the broth in your soup bowl or eat it on the side as a tasty side dish. Since soda bread is fairly plain, it will pair well with whatever flavor is in your soup.

Make a sandwich. Irish soda bread has a very mild flavor that can pair well with any kind of sandwich filling. Add Swiss cheese, corned beef, and sauerkraut for a classic savory sandwich combination. If you want to get creative, spread some apple butter on slices of toasted Irish soda bread and top them with freshly fried bacon. Soda bread is notoriously crumbly. Toast the slices before arranging the sandwich to help keep the bread together. Any kind of cheese will go with Irish soda bread, but blue cheese is especially good. You can also make an open-faced sandwich with toasted bread and cheese for a twist on the classic sandwich.

Making Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Prepare your workspace. Preheat your oven to 425 °F (218 °C). While you wait, grease and flour a 9 in (23 cm) circular cake pan and set it aside. Alternatively, use a cast-iron skillet for a more traditional touch. The skillet should be pre-seasoned, and it doesn’t need to be greased and floured. To grease and flour a cake pan, first coat the inside of the pan with butter. Next, sift over a small amount of flour until all of the butter is coated. Discard any excess flour.

Pour the flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Measure out 4 cups (120 g) of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp (4.2 g) of baking soda, and 1 tsp (4.2 g) of salt, then pour them into a large bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to combine them and make sure there aren't any lumps in your dry goods mixture. If there are any lumps in the flour, run it through a sifter before you mix it in. If you want to make brown Irish soda bread, substitute three of the cups of white flour with whole wheat flour.

Incorporate 14 fluid ounces (0.41 L) of buttermilk. Add the buttermilk all at once and fold it into the dry ingredients with a spatula. Stir until the ingredients are just combined. If you mix it a lot, you will have a smooth crust. If you mix until just combined, your crust will have the traditional rough texture. Don’t use an electric mixer to incorporate the buttermilk. The mixer will overmix the batter and your bread won’t rise very well.

Transfer the batter to the cake pan or cast-iron skillet. Once all of the batter is in the pan, tap the pan on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles. Then, cut an “X” shape in the batter with a sharp knife to make sure the dough cooks evenly. Traditionally, the “X” in the soda bread was said to “let the devil out”—really, it just ensures that the heat from the oven can penetrate the thick dough all the way through.

Bake the bread for 30 to 45 minutes. Place your soda bread in the center of a hot oven and bake it for about 30 minutes to start. Check the loaf periodically after the 30 minute mark to see if it’s ready. The crust should be firm to the touch, and if you insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf it should come out clean. If you use a cast-iron skillet instead of a cake pan, your bread will probably need to cook for 45 minutes.

Let the bread cool on a wire rack. Remove the bread from the oven when it’s done cooking and transfer it to a wire baking rack. If you leave the bread in the pan to cool, the bottom of the crust will get soggy, so let the bread cool for a few minutes before serving it. If the bread crumbles a lot while you’re slicing it, let the bread cool for a few more minutes. This will give the loaf more time to firm up.

Making Irish Soda Bread French Toast

Slice the soda bread into ⁄4 in (1.9 cm) thick pieces. Using a bread knife, cut up your soda bread into thick slices to create the perfect base for your French toast. It doesn’t matter if the bread is fresh or stale, since you’ll be cooking it in a skillet in just a moment.

Mix the eggs, milk, and spices together in a bowl. Combine 3 eggs, ⁄4 cup (59 mL) of milk, 1/2 tsp (2.4 g) of cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp (2.4 g) of nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir your ingredients together with a whisk to combine them thoroughly before starting on your French toast. Don’t worry if there are a few stubborn bits of egg that won’t mix; these bits of egg will cook onto the bread and disappear.

Dip each slice of soda bread into the egg mixture. Gently press a slice of Irish soda bread in the egg mixture until it’s soaked through. Turn it over to get the other side so that it’s evenly soaked before transferring it to your skillet. Your hands might get a little messy here, but it’s worth it!

Pan fry the French toast. Place a buttered skillet on the stove over medium heat. Set a slice of battered bread onto the skillet and fry it until both sides are golden brown. Remove the slice to a plate to cool before serving. If your bread starts to smoke, the heat on your skillet is too high. Turn it down a little bit and keep cooking.

Serve the French toast. French toast is a traditionally sweet breakfast. Top a few slices with maple syrup, berries, and powdered sugar for a sugary dish. However, French toast is also delicious in savory dishes. Use French toast slices, bacon, and a fried egg to make a delicious breakfast sandwich.