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Sourdough Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread with Sourdough Discard

Amy
A giant loaf of biscuit-like bread, Irish Soda Bread with sourdough discard is quick to whip together and should be baked until crusty on the outside and soft in the middle. Add in zest or currants for a sweeter loaf or enjoy plain or dunked in some hearty soup. This is the perfect bread to make for St. Patrick's Day or anytime you need a delicious quick bread.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Appetizer, Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine Irish
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 140 grams sourdough discard 100% hydration, about 1/2 cup
  • 360 grams buttermilk about 1 1/2 cups
  • 1 large egg about 50 grams
  • 525 grams all purpose flour about 3 1/2 cups
  • 60 grams granulated sugar about 1/4 cup
  • 13 grams salt about 1 1/2 teaspoons
  • 7 grams baking soda about 1 teaspoon
  • 70 grams unsalted butter, chilled and grated about 5 Tablespoons

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the sourdough discard, buttermilk and egg. Set aside.
  • Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and lightly mix together. Add any mix-ins if desired (currants, zest, herbs, chocolate chips, etc...) and lightly coat with the flour mixture.
  • Grate the cold butter directly into the mixture or cut the butter into small chunks or use a pastry cutter until the butter is finely incorporated. There should be no big lumps of butter, just small pea-sized pieces.
  • Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir to lightly incorporate. If the dough is a little sticky, add a Tablespoon or two of extra flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead once or twice. This is a quick bread, so you don’t want to activate the gluten in the flour with a lot of kneading. Shape into a round circle.
  • Transfer the loaf to the prepared baking pan and score a large X on the top. Bake for 20 minutes and then check the top of your bread. If it is browning quickly, cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake until the bread is cooked through, about 45-50 minutes. 
  • Allow bread to cool 15 minutes and then serve warm. It can also be eaten at room temperature or toasted for a snack later. Enjoy!

Notes

Buttermilk: I always pick up buttermilk at the store to use in my baking. I think it is superior to most substitutions. With that said, the best substitution I have found for one cup of buttermilk is:
  • a mixture of ½ cup plain yogurt (or sour cream) and ½ cup milk mixed together (per cup of buttermilk)
 
Sourdough Discard: This recipe uses about 1/2 cup of 100% hydration sourdough discard. I use mine cold from the fridge, but you can also substitute bubbly sourdough starter. The longer the sourdough discard sits in the fridge, the more pronounced the sour flavor will be in the loaf. If you like the sour flavor, use older discard. If you don't want to taste it in the bake, use bubbly sourdough starter OR a younger discard.
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