6 Speedy Soda Breads for When You Want Homemade Bread in a Hurry

When I want extra-crusty, still-warm, butter-slathered bread to go with dinner, but don’t want to go through the hassle (does this happen to you, too?), I turn to soda bread.

While yeast-raised bread recipes can take days and days before you even turn on the oven (love you, sourdough, it’s just the truth), soda bread falls into the quick bread category for one big reason: It’s quick.

Instead of yeast, soda bread relies on—can you guess it?—baking soda for its leavening prowess. Which means all you have to do is combine your dry ingredients in a bowl, add liquid, stir, and get it in the oven.

Here are six of our favorite soda breads on the site. They’re perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, of course, but I make them way more often than that.

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1. Oaty Brown Sugar Soda Bread

Extra-wholesome, thanks to whole-wheat flour and whole-milk kefir.

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2. Irish Soda Bread With Ancient Grains

From the brilliant Maria Speck, this loaf is full of good stuff: spelt flour, cornmeal, sesame seeds, olive oil, and more.

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3. Gammy's Irish Soda Bread

Food writer Caroline Lange’s great-grandmother’s recipe—so you know it’s got to be good.

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4. Peggy's Authentic Irish Soda Bread With Raisins

Another family-famous bread—made with chewy raisins and tangy buttermilk.

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5. Carrot Soda Bread

Why decide between carrot bread and soda bread when you could have both?

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6. Irish Brown Soda Bread

By way of our co-founder Merrill Stubbs, this loaf is super grainy thanks to wheat germ.

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Have you ever made soda bread before? Tell us about the recipe below.