Soda bread is one of the easiest bread recipes you can make! You’re probably familiar with Irish Soda Bread, the classic bread for St. Patrick’s Day festivities. But this Cinnamon Raisin Soda bread is even better! Lots of warm cinnamon combine with sweet raisins to make this soda bread that’s perfect as a side dish for dinner or a a breakfast treat.
What is a soda bread?
If you haven’t made a soda bread before you might be wondering why these breads of the word soda in their name!
I’ll be honest, growing up I thought it was because the bread dough was made with soda or seltzer water. What kid doesn’t want to eat bread with soda?! Well, I couldn’t be more wrong.
Soda bread gets it’s name because baking soda is the leavening ingredient. No yeast, no letting rise! Just let the baking soda to the work while it bakes.
So…for my younger self you can see how this wasn’t exactly exciting. But now my adult self loves the easy simplicity of a soda bread recipe! So easy even the non-bakers can master this and make a delicious beautiful bread.
Another thing to love about this Cinnamon Raisin Soda Bread? It doesn’t have to be perfect and smooth!
Soda breads are a rustic bread. There’s nooks and crannies, grooves and ridges. Before baking the bread you cut a large “X” in the top which creates this gorgeous “puffed” look to the bread. So when I say you don’t have to be a seasoned baker to make a soda bread, I mean it!
If you prefer a smoother look you can absolutely smooth out the top of yours for a sleeker look. But I just love the rustic look of the crusty top.
Here’s what you need to make this recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup raisins
Kitchen Tools
The only kitchen tool I really think you need that will help with this recipe is a pastry cutter, like this one below.
A pastry cutter will help you work the butter into the flour and get the butter more evenly dispersed throughout the dough. You can find a pastry cutter like this on Amazon!
If you don’t have a pastry cutter you can still get by using a large fork, but trust me the pastry cutter makes it so much easier!
Once you’re all done making the dough and lightly kneading it into a circle it should look a little something like this! You can make this as smooth or rustic as you like. If you want less grooves and ridges you can knead the dough a bit more and work the top to smooth it over.
Remember, the last step is cutting a large “X” in the top of the dough so even if you make the top super smooth there will be some texture after it bakes.
After you bake the bread for about 55 minutes, you’ll end up with this rustic crusty bread like this!
Take a look at how cutting the “X” in the top of the dough let’s the bread bake open slightly, forming these grooves and ridges.
This bread would look beautiful on your St. Patrick’s Day dinner table, or breakfast table!
When to eat soda bread
So when is a good time to eat cinnamon raisin soda bread? Ummm, let’s try…any time! And I mean it…you don’t just have to wait until St. Patrick’s Day rolls around. These breads are so easy you can make them any time of the year.
This can also be eaten at breakfast, lunch, or dinner! This isn’t sweet like a muffin, so this can totally be eaten with your dinner, but it also pairs nicely with a cup of coffee in the morning.
I actually love is having a slice of this at breakfast. A cup of coffee and a warmed up slice of soda bread with butter is a great way to start off the morning!
Recipe tips
- While I love the look of the rustic bread, if you want a smoother look just knead the dough a bit more and smooth out the top.
- Cutting the “X” in the top also isn’t required, but it does give the look of a classic Irish soda bread!
- After you place the dough on your floured surface if there’s any excess dough mixture in the bowl you can just work it back into the dough as you knead.
- This isn’t a sweet bread, but if you want it sweet you can add a bit more white sugar.
- Pop a slice in the microwave and warm it up before adding the butter, tastes amazing a little warm!
- Don’t substitute the buttermilk, you really need to use real buttermilk here…so make sure you add it to your grocery list!
Want more soda bread recipes? I’ve got two more you might want to check out!
Classic Irish Soda Bread
Orange and Cranberry Soda Bread
Scones are one of my favorite things to bake, they’re so easy!
Copycat Panera Orange Scones
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Raspberry Scones with White Chocolate Drizzle
And some more breakfast baked treats!
Banana Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Muffins
Amaretto Blueberry Puff Pastries
Cinnamon Raisin Soda Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish American
Ingredients
4 cups flour
4 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, diced into small pieces
1 and 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup raisins
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 375. Prepare a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or fork and blend until the butter is combined.
3. Lightly beat the egg in the buttermilk then pour into flour mixture. Mix the raisins in a tablespoon of flour and add into the dough.
4. Flour your counter-top and your hands. Dump the dough on the flour and lightly knead a few times until you get a round loaf. It will be very sticky at first so make sure you have enough flour so it doesn’t stick to your hands.
5. Place the loaf onto the baking sheet and cut an ‘X’ into the top with a serrated knife. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.
Notes
Don’t substitute the buttermilk, it will help the bread rise!
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