Garlic and Onion Irish Soda Bread
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, this savory bread is perfect to serve alongside a hearty stew or a helping of cabbage and corned beef. Soda bread gets its name from baking soda, which is used to help it rise instead of yeast, making it quick and easy to bake any time. This soda bread uses garlic and onion to give it an extra kick of flavor that’ll have everyone peeking into the kitchen to see what smells so good.
This recipe calls for buttermilk. If you’re vegan or dairy free, you can make your own using plant-based milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Simply add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to 2 cups of plant-based milk. We recommend using soy milk or coconut milk, as a milk with a higher fat content is closer to buttermilk. If you’re a cheese lover, try sprinkling a little bit of cheddar cheese in the dough before baking or right on top 5 minutes before you pull it out of the oven. I hope you enjoy this wonderful bread recipe!
Ingredients:
4 cups all purpose flour (plus more for kneading the dough)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1 large white or yellow onion
½ garlic clove
1-2 T oil of your choice
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 425° and prepare a large oven-safe pot with a removable lid by lining it with parchment paper or greasing it. Set the pot aside.
Dice your onion and mince your garlic.
In a small frying pan on medium heat, add the onion and oil. Cook the onion until it becomes brown, but is not burnt. Salt to taste if desired. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on medium heat.
Transfer your cooked onion and garlic from the frying pan into a small bowl and allow it to cool in the refrigerator until it is at least room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, add your flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients together to combine.
Add your buttermilk and the cooled garlic and onion into the dry ingredients. Mix to combine using a baking spatula until the dough becomes difficult to stir.
Begin kneading the dough with your hands. You may do this in your large bowl or on your kitchen counter. Add flour as needed until the dough no longer sticks to your hands and springs back from your finger when you poke it. This may take 5 to 10 minutes depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
Transfer the dough into your prepared pot.
Score the dough with an “X” on the top, about ¼ of an inch thick.
Cover the pot with your lid and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes. You will know your bread is done when it is fragrant and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
