Irish Soda Bread (Davidson)

This Irish soda bread leans toward the sweeter, richer American-Irish tradition. Buttermilk and sour cream together make the crumb incredibly tender, while butter gets cut into the flour like a biscuit dough, creating little pockets of richness throughout.

The caraway seeds are the signature here. That warm, slightly anise-like flavor running through a bread studded with plump raisins is what makes soda bread taste like soda bread to most Americans who grew up eating it around St. Patrick’s Day.

Cut the butter into pea-sized pieces and stop there. Overworking it melts the fat into the flour and you lose those flaky, tender layers. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined. A few floury streaks in the batter are fine; overmixing makes soda bread tough.

Pro Tips

• Cold butter is a must; warm butter won’t create the flaky pockets you want
• The sour cream adds tang and fat that keeps the bread moist for days
• Don’t skip the toothpick test at 50 minutes; the center takes longer than you’d expect in a round pan
• Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out to prevent crumbling

Variations

• Swap raisins for dried cranberries and add orange zest for a citrus twist
• Leave out the caraway seeds if you prefer a milder loaf
• Brush the top with melted butter as soon as it comes out of the oven for a soft, glossy crust