With a tender, deliciously maple-flavored texture and plump raisins, maple Irish soda bread is sure to please! This festive and easy quick bread recipe is on the smaller side and perfect for breakfast and snacks.
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, so that means now is the time to get your Irish soda bread recipe ready to go.
I’m not Irish at all, yet growing up my mom always made corned beef and Irish soda bread on March 17th. We just like a good themed meal!
I’m choosing to remember those happy St. Patrick’s Day memories over the traumatizing kindergarten experience in which my teacher told us a leprechaun would sneak into our classroom overnight and we could trap him if we built a castle from blocks.
As a child who had real anxiety surrounding magical, mythical beings invading my space (I could barely stomach sleeping in the same room as my tooth fairy pillow and had a near panic attack the night before Easter over how the bunny could get into the house, and WHAT if ‘bad guys’ could get in the same way), I was not down with this.
Nowadays leprechauns can still stay away but I’ll take all the festive carbs, Irish cream truffles, and even green beer, please.
Irish soda bread at its base consists of just a few ingredients. It qualifies as a quick bread because it rises from baking soda (and powder) and not yeast. That means it’s quick to make (yeah!) and is generally less fussy.
Please know that I’m not claiming this maple Irish soda bread to be authentic Irish soda bread in any form or fashion. I’m well aware of differences in opinion regarding the presence of added sugar, the state of butter (solid or liquid), etc. Let alone flavored extracts!
But what this bread lacks in authenticity it makes up in taste.
This soda bread has a soft and tender texture that holds up very well to slicing. It’s perfect to eat as-is, of course, but the ability to toast leftover portions and slather with butter and/or jam without making a crumbly mess is big.
How to make maple Irish soda bread
While not a make-or-break step with this soda bread recipe, I always start by soaking the raisins to rehydrate them. This ensures they’re extra moist, and depending on what you use can give them a flavor oomph.
Add your raisins to a small, heat-safe bowl and pour in enough boiling water to cover the raisins completely. If using water I like to add a little brown sugar (one tablespoon or so) to give them an extra touch of sweetness. Buuuuut if I feel like it I’ll use bourbon instead of water.
Bourbon-soaked raisins? Sounds much more preferable to dried up raisins.
I’ll do this first and let the raisins sit as long as the recipe of the recipe takes, up until they’re ready to be stirred into the dough.
The second thing I do is to make a quick and dirty buttermilk substitute. I never have a carton of buttermilk on hand. Never, ever.
Instead I use the old vinegar-in-milk trick. Add two teaspoons to a liquid measuring cup, then pour in milk (I use 2%) up to the two-thirds cup line. Let sit for at least five minutes, then proceed with using it in the recipe.
Buttermilk is the pick for this maple Irish soda bread recipe over regular milk because the added acidity is necessary to react with the baking soda to help this bread rise.
The third thing I do, also not make or break, is to melt the butter. I like to give it a bit of extra time to cool down some before adding it to the recipe. Just enough time to prep the rest of the ingredients, pre-heat the oven, etc.
Letting it cool some helps prevent any milk-curdling or partial egg-cooking from adding something super hot to cold.
Next is combining the wet and dry ingredients separately.
Let’s talk about flavor. The ‘maple’ part of this recipe title comes from maple extract and not maple syrup. While we always have a Costco-sized jug of pure maple syrup in our house, I find it’s hard to use in baked goods recipes to provide a very present maple taste.
Usually this is because the amount of maple syrup necessary to have a bold flavor break through in a baked good would likely be far too much liquid for the recipe to actually hold together. Sugar too, for that matter.
Enter maple extract. Just a little bit will do the trick. One teaspoon added to this maple Irish soda bread recipe provides a moderately maple flavor that complements the raisins and other bread ingredients wonderfully.
You should be able to find maple extract in the baking aisle of your grocery store (I’ve seen it in two big chain conventional grocery stores around here) or on Amazon. I like the Frontier brand of maple flavoring but I can’t seem to find it listed on Amazon at the moment to link.
Once all the ingredients are combined, you’ll notice that the dough is still pretty sticky. Add extra flour as needed until most of the stickiness has gone away. After adding two cups of flour initially, I usually work another quarter-cup or so into the dough to make it workable and able to hold together in a ball.
While you can use a parchment-lined baking sheet to bake this maple Irish soda bread, I like to use a medium-sized cast iron skillet (affiliate link). Mine has an 8″ diameter and is very affordable! It does a great job of making sure the loaf stays perfectly round.
And that’s it! Let the bread cool before slicing and enjoy with butter/jam, toasted or untoasted, or just as-is.
Recipe notes
- This recipe doesn’t make a huge loaf of bread, which I like because our household of two can go through it before it gets stale. While I haven’t tried it myself, I bet you could double this recipe without issue.
Maple Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
For the Raisins:
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup boiling water (or bourbon)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
For the Dough:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (start at 2 cups)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup buttermilk (see note on DIY)
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tsp maple extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a cup or bowl, add raisins, bourbon or water, and 1 tbsp brown sugar. Stir to dissolve brown sugar. Let raisins sit while you prepare the dough (about 15 minutes), making sure that all raisins are submerged.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8" cast iron skillet or baking pan and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, granulated sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, maple extract, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until just combined and dough is cohesive. Drain the liquid from the raisins and stir them in.
- The dough will likely be very sticky at this point. Stir/work in additional flour as needed until a ball of dough forms and is easier to handle. I work in around 1/4 cup of flour, or a small amount more, at this point. The dough will still be a little sticky but you should be able to get it into the greased skillet.
- Add the ball of dough to the greased skillet and cut an 'X' into the top with a sharp knife or kitchen snips.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is golden and a tester comes out clean. Let bread cool before slicing. Store bread in an air-tight bag or container at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.
P.S…
Years ago I’d press this dough out and use a shamrock-shaped cookie cutter to make mini loaves. Aren’t they cute? I’m not great with cutesy food and it can be a hassle to get the dough not to stick to the crevasses of the cookie cutter, so I prefer to make one big loaf now.
If you’re so inclined, then by all means make mini loaves of maple Irish soda bread if you like!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
Oh my gosh, I LOVE these!! Totally adorable to cut them into shamrocks! And I love that you added the maple… sounds awesome! 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks Jess! 🙂
Cailee says
How cute and fun!! These look amazingly delicious not to mention the fact that they are totally adorable! Great recipe! 🙂 Love it!!
Alyssa says
Thanks Cailee! I’m a sucker for holiday-inspired treats…I had to make these shamrock-shaped! 🙂
Anna @ shenANNAgans says
Super cute tiny breads. 🙂 I haven’t tried Irish Soda bread before, thinking I better change that. Far out, I can’t believe we are already thinking St Patricks day. It was only Christmas yesterday. 2015 is zooming. Hope you are well and enjoying your weekend.
Alyssa says
Hey Anna! Thank you. 🙂 I only seem to eat Irish soda bread around St. Patrick’s Day because that’s when you’ll see it made, but I’m not sure why it’s not a year round thing. It’s delicious! And YES yes yes, I agree. Where is the year going?? Hope your week is off to a great start!
Mary Frances says
Oh my goodness, can we get more cute here? I think not! Soda bread in fun shapes, now that is something I can get on board with, always. Great job Alyssa!
Alyssa says
Haha fun shapes are what it’s all about Mary Frances! The more festive the better. 🙂 Thanks!
Jess @ What Jessica Baked Next says
I absolutely love soda bread – this looks amazing, Alyssa! Those shamrocks are way too cute! 😀
Alyssa says
Thanks Jess! 🙂
Annie @ ciaochowbambina says
Okay! These are just about the cutest things I’ve ever seen! I’ve never made Irish Soda Bread, and now I will! Thank you!
Alyssa says
Thank you Annie! I could eat this Irish soda bread all year long. 🙂
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Oooh, your little doggie sounds cuuute! And so do these shamrocks. Amazing idea to add the bourbon!
Happy (early) St. Patrick’s Day!
Alyssa says
Thanks Helen! He makes me laugh all the time! Happy (early) St. Patrick’s Day to you, too! 🙂
Christine @ Cooking with Cakes says
how CUTE are these?!?! love the shamrock shapes AND that you added in maple extract, what an awesome recipe girrrrl!
Alyssa says
Thanks Christine!! 🙂
marcie says
These are the cutest things, Alyssa — I love that they’re shamrock shaped! I’m 0% Irish as well, but that doesn’t stop me from making an Irish-themed feast every year, including soda bread. The maple flavor sounds delicious, too! 🙂
Alyssa says
Haha we usually eat a full-blown Irish feast too. And I need to make your soda bread! I think March will be my month of soda bread. 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
What a cute shape! Perfect for St. Patty’s day! The maple sounds like a great touch!
Alyssa says
I love the little bit of maple here – it makes a big difference! Thanks Kathy!
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says
So cute! I love irish soda bread, adding maple extract sounds really good.
Alyssa says
Thanks Kathy!
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
These are so cute! I’ve never made Irish soda bread before but I do love to stuff my face with it. 😉
Alyssa says
Hahaha I was like that too up until last year. Now I want to make it year round!
Ashley says
These are so cute! I love the shape! I still have yet to make soda bread at home … it’s madness I tell you.
Oh and I totally love maple extract too – so good!
Alyssa says
Thanks Ashley! And we’re coming up on March…it’s the perfect time!
Danielle @ Live Well Bake Often says
What a cute St. Patrick’s Day treat! I love that you made them into little shamrocks too, such a cute idea. Pinned!
Alyssa says
Thanks Danielle! 🙂
Annie @Maebells says
How cute are these little baby breads! I love how festive they are! I have never tried Irish Soda bread, but maybe I should! These are perfect for St. Patrick’s day! Pinned!
Alyssa says
Thanks Annie! I bet you’d love Irish soda bread. Really good! 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Ok Alyssa, these are just too cute! What a great bread side dish for St Patrick’s day! And Tug sounds like the sweetest little guy ever. Isn’t having a dog the best?!
Alyssa says
Thanks girl! And Tug is such a mush and a half, he cracks me up! Love, love, love having a dog! 🙂
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
What a cute idea for St. Patrick’s Day! And, I love that you shaped them into shamrocks! Such a great idea! Pinned!
Alyssa says
Thanks Kristi! The more ‘festive’ the better in my eyes! 🙂