If you want an easy bread recipe to make, soda breads are perfect for you! My blueberry soda bread combines an easy soda bread dough with warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh blueberries! This is delicious as a morning or afternoon treat.

WHAT IS A SODA BREAD?
If you haven’t made a soda bread before you might be wondering why these breads have 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 something like club 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 do all the work while it bakes.
So…for my younger self you can see how learning this wasn’t exactly exciting. But now my adult self loves the easy simplicity of a soda bread recipe! So easy you can master this delicious beautiful bread even if you don’t bake often.

Something else I love about soda breads? They don’t have to be perfectly 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! A little note, when I took this photo of the ingredients I totally forgot to include the jar of nutmeg…whoops!
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups flour
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, diced into smaller chunks
- 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
- 1 large egg
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.

WHEN TO EAT 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 to bake and enjoy a soda bread. These breads are so easy you can make them any time of the year.
Since this is a fruit bread I think it’s best for a morning or afternoon treat. It isn’t as sweet as a muffin, but it would pair nicely with a cup of coffee or tea.
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.
- 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 full-fat buttermilk here…so make sure you add it to your grocery list!
- If you want a softer doughier bread, add a piece of parchment paper to the baking sheet first.

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
Cinnamon Raisin Soda Bread
Scones are one of my favorite things to bake, they’re so easy!
Copycat Panera Orange Scones
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Raspberry Scones
Cinnamon Raisin Scones
Jalapeño Cheddar Scones
Blueberry Soda Bread
An easy soda bread recipe made extra special with fresh blueberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Enjoy with butter for a morning or afternoon treat!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American Irish
Ingredients
4 cups flour
2 cups fresh blueberries
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons cold butter, diced into smaller pieces
2 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
1 large egg
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 375. Prepare a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or fork and blend until the butter is combined so the mixture looks like coarse sand.
3. Lightly beat the egg in the buttermilk then pour into flour mixture. Mix the blueberries and stir to incorporate all of the dry and wet ingredients together.
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. Remember, this can be a rustic bread and doesn’t have to be totally smooth if you don’t want it to be!
5. Place the loaf directly 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. I recommend checking the bread at 50 minutes to see if it needs the full 55 minutes.
Keep covered in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature. After that, store in the fridge to keep fresh.
Notes
Use the regular full-fat buttermilk, not the reduced fat kind.
For a softer, doughier bread you can add a piece of parchment paper to the baking sheet.
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