Irish soda bread rolls

These tasty soda bread rolls are quick to make with just a handful of ingredients. Great simply with butter on top, alongside soup or a main, with jam and more.

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Most people will agree that there's nothing quite like the taste of freshly made bread. If you can make your own, you also get to enjoy those wonderful smells as it bakes as well. But, bread does take time and preparation.

In most cases, you need to allow for two rises, or at least one long rise like for my no knead olive oil rosemary bread, so the whole process takes a few hours. True, you can often plan it to work around other things, but you do need a bit of preparation.

However breads that don't use yeast are different. Both unleavened flatbreads like piadina and savory quick bread are a whole lot quicker. They may be a little different, but they're still incredibly tasty and versatile.

Soda bread history

While soda bread is for many considered a staple of Irish cooking, it's not something exclusively Irish. Other countries have similar breads, like Scottish bannock and Australian damper bread. Native Americans made a bread using pearl ash (a wood ash-derived leavening agent) which may have been what led to these other breads, though the link is not clear.

What is known is that Irish soda bread first became popular in the early 19th century and met a particular need at the time. Poverty was widespread and yeast could be hard to come by and/or expensive. Also, the local wheat flour was relatively low in gluten and so didn't rise particularly well.

Using baking soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda) was a great solution to feed people cheaply and was also quick to make. Originally, it was made covered on the stove or placed in a fire, so din't need an oven, either. Over the years it has gone in and out of style, as needs and tastes have changed, but these days, it is generally seen as a cultural staple.

It was also taken by Irish immigrants to the US, though what is most popular there is based on an Irish variation known as "spotted dog" which is sweetened and has added raisins. For many Irish Americans, it's a way to celebrate their roots for St Patrick's Day.

What's in soda bread?

The basic ingredients for soda bread are flour, baking soda/bicarbonate of soda, buttermilk and a little salt. The buttermilk is important as it reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise - it's still on the denser side but it's the reaction that gives it little air pockets.

From this base, you can play around with different flours and additions. Sweetening with honey, adding nuts, herbs, dried fruit, apple or cheese are all options. I have also made these with some added grated vegetables which don't add much flavor-wise, but do give it some color (and added nutrients). You also find versions using beer rather than buttermilk for a slightly different flavor.

As for the flour, you can make this with either white flour or wholegrain/wholemeal flour or a mix of both. To me, using part wholegrain flour is my favorite as you get a lovely depth of nutty flavor, but without it being overly heavy which all wholemeal can be.

A note on flour and preparing ahead

Irish wholegrain flour is made using the whole wheat berry, so includes the bran, unlike the more typical wholewheat flour you get in the US at least. It's a little coarser so do try to find some at least stoneground wholewheat flour, or Irish-style if you can. You can use whole wheat pastry flour but it's a lot smoother so doesn't give quite the same depth of flavor.

While it's very quick to make, you can do a little preparation in advance. I sometimes mix the dry ingredients in the evening the night before then mix in the buttermilk and form the rolls in the morning before I bake them. This way they can be cooking while we eat breakfast and ready to go for lunch. But really, that's only since my morning brain/eyes may not be focussed to measure as it takes no time.

One thing to note with soda bread is that it doesn't keep particularly well, so I don't recommend making the bread much ahead of when you want to eat them - using the same day is best. But this is also part of what I love about making rolls. They're easy to scale up or down to what you need and you don't have to worry about having leftovers that may go stale before you can use them.

Scaling up or down, making rolls and loaves

I have formed these in to four small-ish sized rolls, but you can also have it as a small loaf if you prefer. Or, double the recipe for more or bigger rolls or a larger loaf of bread. Making a loaf is more traditional, but I like the rolls to be easier to serve. Plus, you get more crunchy edges which I personally like.

Just remember that the larger the roll/loaf, the longer it will take to cook, so keep an eye towards the end and check for that hollow "tap" on the bottom.

So, have a go at these yummy soda bread rolls. They're a great introduction to making bread without having to worry about kneading or working with yeast. Plus, the end result is lovely and tasty, especially with that slight nuttiness from the wholemeal flour.

Try some other bread-y sides:

• Spelt rolls (made with part spelt flour, these rolls have a lovely flavor and texture)
• Chestnut bread rolls (with a lovely gently sweet, nutty flavor from chestnut flour in the mix)
• Sweet potato biscuits (another yeast-free option, but with butter, and in this case a lovely color and flavor from sweet potato, too)
• Plus get more bread recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

This post was first shared in November 2014 and has been updated, with slight tweaks but primarily updating photos and adding more information and tips.

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