Irish Soda Bread with Cherries and Granola Top
Irish Soda Bread with Orange, Cherries, and Granola Topping – Tender, aromatic, slightly sweet Irish Soda Bread with Cherries and Granola Top, for Saint Patrick’s Day.
An Irish Soda Bread Recipe For The Win
Secretly, I would forego all other Irish dishes for soda bread… It’s BREAD for Pete’s sake.
I’d take that over cabbage or fried fish any day of the week.
That’s not to say I don’t love traditional Irish cuisine, and the Irish-American favorites we all know and crave.
Yet to me, nothing takes the place of freshly baked bread. That hot earthy wheat aroma wafting from steaming crusty loaves is irresistible. Slathered it in butter and you’ve got something truly magical.
See? I knew you would see it my way.
March seems to kick off bread-baking season in our family. I start with hearty Irish Soda Bread, then move on to yeasty sandwich bread loaves, then soft fluffy rolls for Easter.
I love homemade bread of all varieties, passionately, but there’s nothing more appealing than a rustic soda bread recipe with a note of sweetness.
Irish Soda Bread is a quick-bread variation, designed for no-fuss flavor and ease.
There’s no waiting around for the bread to rise. Adding baking soda instead of yeast, means you simply knead the dough into a hefty loaf and place it in the oven.
Baking soda causes Irish Soda Bread to rise in the oven, but the loaves stay dense and moist.
Irish soda bread can be baked plain and savory, but it is the perfect platform for sweetness!
I have a classic sweet soda bread recipe that I posted several years ago, with currents and caraway seeds. However today’s version, Irish Soda Bread with Cherries and Granola Top, is an updated version that offers bold flavor and vibrant aromas.
Dried cherries and orange zest are mixed into the dough to flavor the bread. Then I top the loaf with a quick homemade honey granola mixture to give it a crunchy nutty crust!
This amazing Irish Soda Bread with Cherries and Granola Top combines a rustic, yet tender, sweet loaf texture with a sturdy golden crust, perfect for topping with salty butter.
Irish Soda Bread with Cherries and Granola Top is just the kind of bread to kick-off my bread season. And your’s too!
What Ingredients You Will Need
For the Soda Bread:
- 3 cups organic all-purpose flour
- 1 cup organic whole wheat flour
- 1 cup whole oats
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup raw sugar
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup dried cherries (cranberries, or raisins)
For the Granola Topping:
- 1/4 cup whole oats
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Pinch salt
How To Make This Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Mix well, then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of small peas.
Mix in the orange zest and cherries. Then stir in the buttermilk. Once the mixture forms a ball, dump it out onto a floured surface and knead several times to form a smooth ball. (If the dough is too dry to knead, add 1 -2 tablespoons of extra buttermilk.)
Place the ball on the baking sheet and press down until it’s a 2 1/2-inch thick disk. Mix the granola topping ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top of the loaf. Then cut a shallow X in the top of the soda bread.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden and crusty. Check the top after 15 minutes. If the granola toppings start to turn too dark, cover loosely with a piece of foil and continue baking. Allow the soda bread to cool for 15 minutes before cutting with a sharp knife.
Get the Complete (Printable) Irish Soda Bread with Cherries and Granola Recipe Below. Enjoy!
More Irish Recipes
- Irish Dubliner Fondue
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Irish Cheese Toasties
- Corned Beef Hash with Creamy Horseradish
- Boxty with Whiskey Gravy
- Bailey’s Irish Cream Jello Shots
- Irish Pub Cheese
- Irish Cabbage and Bacon
- Cottage Pie
- Slow Cooker Shepherds Pie
Other Great Recipes
- Zucchini Parmesan Quick Bread
- Cast Iron Skillet Deep Dish Pizza
- The Best Yeast Bread Rolls
- Honey Wheat Golden Brown Round Loaf Bread Bowl
Check the printable recipe card below for the cook time, total time, and nutrition information including calories, protein, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber percentages.
Irish Soda Bread with Cherries and Granola Top
Ingredients
For the Soda Bread:
- 3 cups organic all-purpose flour
- 1 cup organic whole wheat flour
- 1 cup whole oats
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup raw sugar
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup dried cherries
For the Granola Topping:
- 1/4 cup whole oats
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure the flours, oats, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Mix well, then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of small peas.
- Mix in the orange zest and cherries. Then stir in the buttermilk. Once the mixture forms a ball, dump it out onto a floured surface and knead several times to form a smooth ball. (If the dough is too dry to knead, add 1 -2 tablespoons of extra buttermilk.)
- Place the ball on the baking sheet and press down until it’s a 2 1/2-inch thick disk. Mix the granola topping ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top. Then cut a shallow X in the top of the soda bread.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden and crusty. Check the top after 15 minutes. If the granola toppings start to turn too dark, cover loosely with a piece of foil and continue baking. Allow the soda bread to cool for 15 minutes before cutting.
This bread is delicious, and the granola topping is AMAZING!! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Loved this variation of soda bread! The cherries and granola on top were delicious!!