Air Fryer Irish Soda Bread
Try this classic yeast-free bread with soup or stew this St. Patrick’s Day! This recipe makes two loaves in your air fryer in under an hour. Air Fryer Irish Soda Bread is easy, quick, and absolutely delicious!
It’s that time of the year to bring out all the Irish recipes. My grandma, proud of her Irish heritage, loved this time of year. Making these recipes always reminds me of her.
Irish Soda Bread is a flavorful and dense bread. It reminds me of eating a biscuit. It uses baking soda and buttermilk as leavening agents instead of yeast.
Did I mention how easy it is and that you can make it in your air fryer? This quick bread is ready to enjoy in minutes! I will sometimes whip up a loaf when I’m craving homemade bread. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is. I’ll make it whenever.
Irish Brown Bread is also delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make in under 1 hour in your air fryer.
- No yeast is required, and no waiting around for dough to rise.
- Perfect to serve to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
- One of the easiest bread recipes you’ll ever make.
- Made with basic pantry ingredients.
- Tastes delicious paired with your favorite Irish stew .
Ingredients
The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar – Adds a hint of sweetness.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter – Use salted or unsalted butter.
- Golden raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Egg
- Buttermilk
How to Make Air Fryer Irish Soda Bread
Follow along to learn how to make air fryer Irish soda bread.
- Step One: Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk them together.
- Step Two: Work the butter into the flour mixture until coarse using a pastry blender or clean hands. Stir in raisins and dried cranberries.
- Step Three: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the beaten egg and buttermilk and mix well with a wooden spoon. The dough should become stiff but still slightly sticky.
- Step Four: Transfer the dough to a floured surface and split in half. Shape into two round loaves.
- Step Five: Transfer the dough into lightly greased 7-inch cake pans. Using a sharp knife, score the top of each loaf with an “X” on top.
- Step Six: Preheat the air fryer to 320°F. Add one cake pan to the air fryer basket. Air fry each round loaf one at a time for 20 to 25 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, then it’s done.
- Step Seven: Remove from cake pans and rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife.
- Step Eight: Serve the bread warm or at room temperature.
What to Serve with It
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour to make Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread.
- Substitute granulated sugar for the brown sugar.
- You can leave out the golden raisins and cranberries or include one or the other.
- Add two teaspoons of caraway seeds instead of the raisins and cranberries.
- Add one teaspoon of grated orange zest for a hint of citrus.
How to Make Buttermilk
Do not skip adding the buttermilk to this recipe. It’s a leavening agent that reacts with the baking soda.
The good news is that it’s easy to make a buttermilk substitution.
Add two tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 ¾ cup of regular milk. Stir and let it sit for a few minutes. Easy!
Storage Instructions
Enjoy the bread freshly baked on the same day you make it for best results. I don’t recommend storing it in the fridge.
Can You Freeze?
Yes, you can freeze Irish soda bread. Wrap it several times with plastic wrap and then cover it in foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How Does It Rise?
A regular yeasted bread needs yeast to rise into a light, fluffy loaf. Soda Bread, on the other hand, contains no yeast. So how does it rise?
Simple. The baking soda and buttermilk combine to create a chemical reaction that creates carbon dioxide, allowing the bread to rise. The gas becomes trapped in the dough as it cooks, and you get a beautiful loaf of bread when it’s all done.
Why Do You Cut the Top of the Bread?
The main reason is a practical one. You need to put an X at the top of the bread to allow the heat to penetrate the thickest part of the dough. No one wants a doughy, uncooked center!
How to Tell When It’s Done
There are several ways to tell if your Irish Soda Bread is finished baking.
Look at the X at the top of the dough. Is it wet-looking? If so, it needs more time.
You can also insert a cake tester into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it’s done cooking. The outside of the loaf should be a nice golden brown.
It should also make a hollow sound when you tap the bottom of the bread.
How to Serve
- For breakfast or a quick snack, serve with butter, jam, honey, or marmalade. This Copycat Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter is yummy.
- Enjoy with your favorite soup or stew for dipping.
- Add a side dish to your family meal. It pairs awesomely with meat.
Air Fryer Recipes
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Air Fryer Irish Soda Bread
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Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter slightly softened
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 ¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Using a pastry blender or your clean hands, work the butter into the flour mixture until coarse. Stir in raisins and dried cranberries.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add in the beaten egg and buttermilk and mix well with a wooden spoon. The dough should become stiff, but still slightly sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and split in half. Shape into two round loaves.
- Transfer the dough into lightly greased 7-inch cake pans. Using a sharp knife, score each dough with an "X" on top.
- Preheat the air fryer to 320°F. Air fry each round one at a time for 20 to 25 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, then it's done.
- Remove from cake pans and let rest on the cooling rack for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Serve the bread warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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I was skeptical when a recipe recipe instructed that we start by mixing all the dry ingredients and then slowly adding the moist ingredients.
Then I went to bake it following the exact instructions and I’m wondering if this recipe was not written by ChatGPT Or someone who has never cooked Irish soda bread before because the entire inside of the loaf is still raw