Dutch Oven Irish Soda Bread Recipe with Cherries
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Irish Soda Bread is loaded with sweet cherries. It is soft and tender and slightly sweet. With only 6 ingredients, it’s quick and easy to make.
Dutch Oven Irish Soda Bread with cherries is a quick and easy soda bread to make.
It’s delicious as is but the cherries add just a little bit of sweetness.
This is a very basic soda bread recipe. You can mix in a variety of ingredients to make it your own.
I first made Irish Soda Bread with Raisins as a surprise for my 92-year-old Irish mother-in-law. I couldn’t believe how quick and easy that bread came together!
She and I love family history. She’s shared some great recipes with me like this Raspberry Linzer Torte recipe. It was her mother-in-law’s recipe. That’s an old recipe!
The History of Soda Bread
What I’ve learned about this bread makes a lot of sense in regard to her heritage.
It’s said that this bread didn’t actually originate in Ireland. The American Indians made bread using pearl ash a natural form of soda created from the ashes of wood before the existence of baking soda.
Once baking soda was introduced, Soda Bread recipes were created in Ireland, around 1830. It became a staple in Ireland when their people suffered financial difficulty.
This bread has few ingredients and could be cooked without ovens.
Traditional Soda Bread Ingredients
Traditional ingredients for this bread – flour, baking soda, salt and “sour milk” (buttermilk).
The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda so you don’t need to use yeast in this bread.
Why is there a cross on top?
Scoring yeast bread keeps it from “blowing out”. The cross on this bread isn’t a score. I learned that it’s partly due to superstitious reasons.
Families believed if they cut a cross on the top of the bread that it would ward off evil and protect the household.
John isn’t crazy about raisins but loves cherries so I made up a loaf. I let it brown just a little too much. The cherries were a little (a lot) dry and crispy.
I decided to try baking it in my dutch oven the way I do my Overnight Sourdough Bread.
I removed the lid when 10 minutes of baking was left so it would brown. The bread browned nicely with the lid on so I covered it back up to finish baking. We loved the way it came out.
Tips for the perfect soda bread
- When an instant-read thermometer reads 210° the bread is done.
- Eat Soda bread the day you make it or freeze what you don’t plan on eating within a couple of days. I wrap it in plastic or use a zip lock bag and then wrap it again in foil. Use a marker to label and date it.
- Add the cherries before the bread comes together. This is a strong dough so adding it after the loaf comes together will make it difficult to incorporate them.
- Leftover bread makes amazing french toast!
We LOVE baking bread! You can find all of our bread recipes here!
You may need
- Instant-Read Thermometer – I use this thermometer for perfectly cooked recipes.
- Lodge Cast Iron Enamel Dutch Oven – I’ve got dutch ovens that cost triple what this one does and it’s my favorite! It’s perfect for my bread, a stove-top sauce or oven-baked casserole.
If you enjoy this recipe here are a few more you may like
Don’t forget to stop back and let me know how your dutch oven Irish Soda bread came out.
Dutch Oven Irish Soda Bread with Cherries
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups buttermilk **
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups dried cherries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Mix with a wooden spoon until flour is incorporated. Knead a few times by hand if necessary.
- Add the cherries and knead to combine. Form a ball from the dough.
- Put a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and turn out the dough. Shape the dough into a 2" thick round loaf. Cut a 1-inch cross through the top of the bread with a sharp or serrated knife.
- Pick up the dough by grabbing the edges of the parchment paper and put the loaf into a 5-qt dutch oven. Cover the bread with the lid and bake for up to 55 minutes or when the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210° when tested with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center. *The bread will sound hollow when tapped.
- Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Wrap in an air-tight to store.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
Why in the world would someone title the recipe Dutch Oven Soda Bread and then give directions to bake only on a baking sheet. Maybe I missed something.
Ok, Linda, I messed up. I was looking at another soda bread recipe that I’ve done but have now corrected this one’s instructions. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! ~Julie
Julie, I cannot wait to make this loaf!! I am not a fan of raisins in my baked goods, so I’ve typically stayed away from making a traditional Irish Soda bread — but the cherries! Oh yes please!!
John feels the same way so no raisins here LOL! Thank you Kathleen!
Another stunning and amazingly easy bread recipe for us novice bakers~ Thank you!
Thanks, Jennifer!
This is just the recipe I need to get my hands baking bread! What a delicious and easy recipe.
Thank you, Sandra!
This Dutch Irish Soda Bread looks absolutely WONDERFUL!!!!!!
Thank you Brandi!
I was going to make a loaf of bread today, but realized that I just bought a loaf. My loaf of bread, however, was not as pretty as yours. So, I shall make yours instead, next week, when that boring store-bought loaf is gone.
Thank you, Debi!
I NEED this recipe in my life! I’m heading to the store to buy some buttermilk. I will be perfect with the soup I have on the stove!!
Thank you, Deb!
I have never made Irish Soda Bread but this looks so good! Love the addition of the cherries.
Thank you, Stephanie! It’s an easy one.
I see you’re getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day, Julie 🙂 I’ve made the Irish Soda Bread just once and loved it. The cherries give it a different twist from the raisins. Bet it was yummy!
I really liked this Dutch oven method Loretta! Thanks for stopping my and leaving me some love!
I use whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe and it’s so good!
That’s a great option! Thank you, Marjory!
The cherries add the perfect pop of sweetness to this loaf!
Thank you, Wilhelmina!