Skillet Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! We had our corned beef and cabbage over the weekend with friends, but I had to squeeze in a new soda bread recipe for the big day. I had such a hard time selecting one…  baking it in a skillet won. 🙂 Apparently authentic Irish soda bread doesn’t contain raisins, butter, or eggs… this version contains all of the above AND sugar. Still festive though! (…maybe just a little tastier… my husband says, “No one wants to eat it without all of that stuff!”) 🙂

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for half of the all purpose flour and omitted the caraway seeds. We cut it into wedges and ate it for breakfast slathered with butter; she recommended eating it with tart apples and aged cheddar cheese which would be a wonderful snack. The outside was crunchy and buttery; the inside moist and sweet. Nice!

Yield: 1 10-inch loaf

• unsalted butter for greasing pan plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, separated
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 ½ cups raisins or currants
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, optional
• good aged cheddar cheese, for serving
• tart apples, cut into slices, for serving
• butter, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (on convection). Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and line with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the raisins or currants and caraway seeds, if using.
5. Pour batter into skillet. Brush top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and firm to touch, about 45 minutes on convection or up to 1 hour in a standard oven. Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving with butter, cheddar and/or apples, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• Pull-Apart Irish Soda Bread

Two Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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