Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze

This weekend I traded in my Italian bread and focaccia for Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze. So maybe they aren’t  exactly interchangeable… but it was darn good!

This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest! #irishsodabreadrecipe #irishsodabreadhistory www.savoryexperiments.com


 

This tasty Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze is a festive bread typically made for St. Patrick’s day, but can really be made all year! Your St. Patty’s day wouldn’t be fulfilled without this Irish soda bread recipe!

The highlights of Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze are, of course, whiskey, but also the distinct flavor of caraway seeds and fruit. The consistency is dense, but moist, and speckled with sweet fruity morsels, iced with a whiskey glaze…. an Irish sweet tooth dream.

This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest! #irishsodabreadrecipe #irishsodabreadhistory www.savoryexperiments.com

The whiskey may be substituted with water, but you can always just us it in the actual bread and use milk or water for the glaze.

Currants and caraway seeds can also be omitted. Currants can be substituted for raisins as well. If you need another recipe to use your leftover currants, make 20-Minute Italian Seafood Stew!

This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest! #irishsodabreadrecipe #irishsodabreadhistory www.savoryexperiments.com

Keep in mind that this is very much and bread, versus a cake. The batter will be thick and sticky, like a bread.

Most people don’t know this but Irish soda bread history goes back to the 1800’s in Ireland. It used to be made with only 4 basic ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, and sour milk (buttermilk now days).

This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest! #irishsodabreadrecipe #irishsodabreadhistory www.savoryexperiments.com

It used to be made pretty regularly in households and the bread looked different from each part of Ireland. Most Irish families keep the tradition going by still making the bread even today.

This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest! #irishsodabreadrecipe #irishsodabreadhistory www.savoryexperiments.com

If you are looking for more Irish recipes, check out The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook, it is one of my favorites!

This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest! #irishsodabreadrecipe #irishsodabreadhistory www.savoryexperiments.com

Also, if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, don’t fret. Here are a couple of great substitutes for buttermilk in baking.

For each cup of buttermilk, you can use:

  • 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let stand for 5 minutes.
  • 1 cup of plain yogurt
  • 1-3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar plus 1 cup milk

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This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest! #irishsodabreadrecipe #irishsodabreadhistory www.savoryexperiments.com
This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest! #irishsodabreadrecipe #irishsodabreadhistory www.savoryexperiments.com

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

4.58 from 7 votes
This Irish Soda Bread with Whiskey Glaze recipe is Irish food at its best! It consists of whiskey, caraway seeds, currants, and fresh orange juice and zest!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 9

Ingredients

Irish Soda Bread:

Whisky Glaze:

Instructions

  • Place currants in a small bowl with whiskey. Allow to sit for 1 hour. Drain, reserving whiskey in a separate bowl (it will be used for the glaze). 
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×9 square baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add sugar. 
  • Combine currants, orange zest, caraway seeds and orange juice to dry mixture.
  • Beat in buttermilk and melted butter to make a thick batter. Spread evenly in baking dish.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes or until bread passes the “toothpick test” and the top is lightly browned.
  • Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool. When bread is almost cooled, start to make the glaze.
  • Combine 3 tablespoons reserved whiskey with powdered sugar. In order to reach the correct drizzle-able consistency, add more powdered sugar or water to the mixture.
  • Slice bread into 2×2 squares and then drizzle glaze. Drizzle in all of the nooks and crannies. Allow to set and then enjoy your Irish Soda Bread! 
  • If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was! 

Notes

  • Currants can be substituted for raisins. 

Nutrition

Calories: 429 kcal, Carbohydrates: 70 g, Protein: 6 g, Fat: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 17 mg, Sodium: 421 mg, Potassium: 296 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 37 g, Vitamin A: 235 IU, Vitamin C: 3.7 mg, Calcium: 86 mg, Iron: 2.6 mg
Author: Jessica Formicola
Calories: 429
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Irish
Keyword: irish soda bread, whiskey bread
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Jessica Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and food lover behind Savory Experiments. She is obsessed with butter, salt and bacon and spends all her time in the kitchen and behind a camera. Jessica is a contributor to PopKitchen by Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more!

Read More About Jessica

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Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    So good. I made this during the cold snap a few weeks ago. Easy and fabulous. Hubby, son and daughter loved it and they are picky. I’ll be baking this again.

    1. I haven’t personally tried it, but I don’t see why not, probably about the same bake time too.

  2. This looks incredible, and I know I would just LOVE this bread! How can you go wrong when whiskey is involved in baking? Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day! Thanks, Jessica! Great recipe! xx