Irish Soda Bread from Sourdough Discard
St. Patrick’s Day is coming soon, and it’s a great reason to utilize your discard into something as delicious as Irish soda bread from sourdough discard. The addition of graham flour and whole wheat flour gives this loaf a wonderfully authentic character, adding depth of flavor, hearty texture, and rustic charm that perfectly complements this traditional bread.
Irish soda bread has long been loved for its simplicity. Unlike many yeast breads that require lengthy fermentation and proofing, soda bread comes together quickly and bakes beautifully with minimal effort. It is the perfect recipe when you want fresh homemade bread without spending an entire day in the kitchen. The sourdough discard adds a subtle tang and complexity that works wonderfully with the earthy flavors of whole grain flours, creating a loaf that tastes both traditional and unique.
One of the things I love most about this bread is its hearty texture. The graham and whole wheat flours provide a pleasant nuttiness and rustic crumb that make every slice satisfying and flavorful. The crust bakes into a beautiful golden brown with a slightly crisp exterior, while the inside remains tender and moist. It’s the kind of bread that feels comforting from the very first bite.
Fresh from the oven, this Irish soda bread is wonderful served simply with butter, but it also pairs beautifully with soups, stews, chowders, and hearty Irish-inspired meals. A slice toasted the next morning with butter and jam is equally delicious and makes a perfect breakfast or afternoon snack.
Another advantage of this recipe is that it provides an excellent use for sourdough discard. Instead of throwing it away, you can transform it into a flavorful loaf that comes together quickly while still benefiting from the complexity sourdough brings. The discard enhances both flavor and texture without requiring any long fermentation schedule.
This bread is also very forgiving, making it a wonderful choice for beginner bakers. There is no need to worry about gluten development, shaping techniques, or lengthy proofing times. Simply mix the ingredients, shape the loaf, score the top, and bake.
As the bread bakes, the kitchen fills with the warm aroma of toasted grain and fresh bread, creating that unmistakable feeling of homemade comfort. Whether you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or simply looking for a wholesome and delicious way to use sourdough discard, this Irish soda bread is a fantastic recipe to have in your collection. Rustic, flavorful, and incredibly easy to make, it’s a loaf that never disappoints and always brings people back for another slice.
Ingredients
- 200g all purpose flour +20-40g more to dust the surface
- 100g whole wheat flour
- 50g graham flour
- 70g cold butter
- 70g sugar
- 7g baking soda
- 7g salt
- 90g sourdough discard, or if you don’t have sourdough discard add 3g of dry instant yeast
- 210g buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 150g raisins
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Mix flour, shred cold butter with a shredder and mix it all in with flour until you see coarse pieces.
- Add sugar, salt, baking soda mix all together.
- Add sourdough discard and buttermilk, an egg to a flour mixture.
- Mix on a medium speed of your mixer for 3-5 minutes, add raisins, continue mixing for couple more minutes. Dough will look kind of sticky.
Dump the dough on a well floured work surface, try to round it. The dough might seem sticky, but it has to hold the shape. Transfer it on a parchment paper. Spray the dough with water, sprinkle some sugar, and make an “X” cut on top with a razor.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Let it cool and enjoy your Irish soda bread🙏
Irish Soda Bread from Sourdough Discard
Ingredients
- 200 g All-purpose flour (+20-40g extra reserved exclusively to dust your work surface)
- 100 g Whole wheat flour
- 50 g Graham flour
- 70 g Cold unsalted butter
- 70 g White sugar
- 7 g Baking soda
- 7 g Salt
- 150 g Raisins
- 90 g Sourdough discard (Alternatively, substitute with 3g of dry instant yeast if discard is unavailable)
- 210 g Buttermilk
- Whole egg
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (Speeds up the initial dough enrichment, though mixing can easily be completed by hand in a bowl)
- Cheese Grater / Box Shredder (Essential for cleanly shredding the cold butter into uniform pieces)
- Sharp Scoring Lame (Or a fresh razor blade to make the traditional, deep “X” expansion cut)
Method
- Oven Calibration: Preheat your home oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a flat baking sheet cleanly with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Shredding the Fat: In your main mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), combine the 200g of all-purpose flour, 100g of whole wheat flour, and 50g of graham flour. Take your 70g of cold butter and cleanly grate it directly into the flour mixture using a box shredder. Toss the mixture gently with your fingers until the butter flakes are evenly distributed and form coarse, pea-sized pieces.
- Dry Seasoning: Add the 70g of sugar, 7g of salt, and 7g of baking soda directly to the butter-flour mixture. Stir briefly to distribute everything uniformly.
- Liquid Consolidation: Pour the 90g of sourdough discard, 210g of buttermilk, and 1 whole egg directly into the bowl with your dry ingredients.
- The Mixing Phase: Turn your stand mixer onto medium speed and mix steadily for 3 to 5 minutes. The dough will look noticeably wet and kind of sticky, which is perfectly normal for a highly hydrated soda bread. Add the 150g of raisins to the bowl and continue mixing for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until the fruit is uniformly distributed throughout the sticky mass.
- The Flour Table Rounding: Generously dust your clean work surface with the remaining 20 to 40g of all-purpose flour. Dump the sticky dough out onto the floured area. Working gently with floured hands, gather the edges and shape the mass into a smooth, plump round boule. The dough should hold its circular shape cleanly on its own.
- The Traditional X Score: Carefully transfer the shaped round loaf onto your prepared parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray the top surface lightly with water using a spray bottle, then sprinkle a light layer of white sugar over the wet skin. Using a sharp lame or a fresh razor blade, make a deep, bold “X” cut right across the top of the loaf.
- Baking: Slide the baking sheet onto the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 50 to 60 minutes. To check for doneness, slide a toothpick cleanly into the thickest center part of the loaf; it must come out entirely clean. Transfer the baked bread to a wire rack, let it cool completely, and slice into thick wedges!
Nutrition
Notes
- The Importance of Using Ice-Cold Butter: To achieve a beautifully tender, short crumb rather than a dense, rubbery structure, make sure your butter stays ice-cold right up until the moment you grate it. Shredding cold butter into the flour creates tiny, isolated pockets of fat throughout the dough. As the bread bakes, these fat pockets melt rapidly, leaving behind miniature air gaps that provide a delicate texture.
- How to Seamlessly Substitute Graham Flour: If you don’t have specialized graham flour readily available in your pantry, you can easily create an excellent substitute. Simply mix equal parts of regular whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour together to recreate the coarse texture. Alternatively, you can replace the 50g of graham flour entirely with standard whole wheat flour without hurting the recipe’s hydration balance.
- Why the Quick Dough Bake Requires No Proofing: Unlike traditional artisan boules that rely on active wild yeast cultures to create rise over many hours, Irish soda bread relies entirely on a chemical reaction. The lactic acid present in your fresh buttermilk reacts instantly with the 7g of baking soda to produce immediate carbon dioxide gas bubbles. Because this reaction happens quickly, you must score and bake the dough immediately after rounding to trap maximum rise.
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Is there a printable version of this recipe?
Hi! Sorry we are trying to go green 🙏
Hi Natalya,
Love this recipe! Very easy to make and store-level quality. Chapeau!
Marco, thank you so much for your feedback 💖
If I use yeast version (rather than sourdough discard), when do I add? Dry or mixed with water? With yeast does it need rising time? Thanks!
Hello, can I use only whole wheat flour? Thank you!
What is graham flour? Anything to subsitute it with?
Graham flour is a type of whole wheat flour that is coarsely ground. If you don’t have graham flour on hand, you can substitute it with a mixture of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour in equal parts. This will give you a similar texture and flavor in your recipe. Alternatively, you can also use whole wheat flour on its own as a substitute for graham flour.