Skillet Irish Soda Bread With Raisins and Caraway

By Melissa Clark

Updated March 6, 2025

Skillet Irish Soda Bread With Raisins and Caraway
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
5(719)
Comments
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Authentic Irish soda bread contains no raisins, butter or eggs. This American version is made with buttermilk, butter, eggs, raisins and sugar. It’s baked in a heavy iron skillet so that the top and bottom crusts become crunchy and browned while the center stays tender and pale, studded with treacly bits of raisins.

Featured in: A GOOD APPETITE; Not Irish, but Maybe It's for the Best

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Ingredients

Yield:1 10-inch loaf
  • Butter for greasing pan plus ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅔cup sugar
  • 1tablespoon baking powder
  • 1½teaspoons salt
  • 1teaspoon baking soda
  • 1¾cups buttermilk
  • 2eggs, well beaten
  • 1½cups raisins or currants
  • 1tablespoon caraway seeds
  • Good aged Cheddar cheese, for serving
  • Tart apples, cut into slices, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and line with parchment or waxed paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the raisins or currants and caraway seeds.

  3. Step 3

    Pour batter into skillet. Brush top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and firm to touch, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving with Cheddar and apples.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
719 user ratings
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Comments

It IS Irish

My grandmother got off the boat from Cork, Ireland on March 17th, 1903 and this recipe is almost exactly the same as hers. Same ingredients, slightly smaller proportions- 1 egg, 2C flour, 1 1/8 C buttermilk, “handful” of raisins. I make her recipe every year and bring it to work- people come from all over the building to have some. This recipe is, sad to say, slightly better....

Tom

I love this recipe. It’s one of my favorites any time of the year! Not only have I made it many times as the recipe states, with or without the caraway, but at Thanksgiving I’ve also substituted cranberries for the raisins, omitted the caraway seeds, and added grated orange peel for a delicious breakfast/side bread. It's great right out of the oven, warm and crunchy, or over the next few days (as it keeps incredibly well).

Anon

I improved a similar recipe by soaking the raisins in Irish whiskey overnight.

Denis S

Definitely a winner, especially when you are wanting some bread to serve with dinner but want it to come together really quickly. This was so easy and quick to make. I think the caraway seeds are a must to provide a counterpoint to currants (which I used) and sweetness of bread. Some grated orange zest might make a great addition next time. I forgot to add the melted butter, but used a bit extra buttermilk trying to finish off a carton, and bread turned out fine. Very moist.

MMR

Halved the recipe. Cooked in a preheated 8 in cast iron skillet, no parchment, just oiled. Reduced sugar to 1/4 c (should have been 1/3 cup), would reduce by a a bit more next time. Doubled caraway seeds. Baked for 25 min at 335 convection. Really good!

Shane

I’m from Cork, Ireland. This recipe is perfect.

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