This Dutch oven Irish soda bread is simple to make (no kneading!) with just five everyday ingredients--flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. Make it in your oven or over the campfire and enjoy warm fresh bread in just over an hour.
The beauty of Irish soda bread is that it comes together quickly with minimal ingredients, and doesn't require any rising time, unlike traditional yeast breads. You can make this easy recipe in your Dutch oven in your oven at home or over the campfire.
Learning to make fresh bread over hot coals definitely requires some practice and patience, but once you've done it a few times, you'll be whipping up a loaf every time you make Guinness cheese dip, campfire chili or Dutch oven beef stew, because it's perfect for dunking and sopping up juices from soups and stews.
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Why This Recipe is Great for Camping
- You can mix up the dry ingredients ahead of time so you've got less to do at camp.
- You can make fresh camping bread in just over an hour!
- It's great for serving alongside dinner, and toasting over the fire then next morning for breakfast.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Buttermilk--The acid in the buttermilk reacts with baking soda to help the bread to rise. You can make your own buttermilk by mixing 1 ¼ cups milk with 4 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
- Sugar--This adds just a little bit of sweetness to the loaf. You can omit it if you prefer.
- Baking soda--The baking soda is necessary to help your bread rise. To make sure that your baking soda is still fresh and reactive, you can test it by placing ¼ teaspoon of baking soda in a bowl. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of vinegar over the baking soda. If it fizzes, it's still good; if not, it's time to replace it.
How to Make Dutch Oven Soda Bread
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Pour 1 ¼ cups buttermilk into the dry ingredients.
- Stir gently to combine. Add more buttermilk as needed to get a sticky dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball, kneading lightly if desired. Place on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Place the dough into the Dutch oven and score a deep X on the top of the loaf.
- Bake in a 350°F oven or on a bed of hot coals with coals on top until golden brown and cooked through.
FAQs
It's a type of dense bread that is made without yeast. Instead it uses the reaction of acid in buttermilk with baking soda to create gas which causes the bread to rise while baking. Since there is no yeast required, it doesn't need any rising time before baking.
The soda bread is done when it is deep golden brown in color with a firm crust. It should sound hollow when tapped. To be absolutely certain of doneness, you can use an internal thermometer, which should read between 190°F and 200°F for cooked bread.
It happens, particularly when you're cooking on coals, and the bottom of the Dutch oven gets too hot. Simply cut off the burned section and enjoy the rest of the loaf. The next time, try using a few less coals on the bottom, or prop your Dutch oven up so that it isn't directly in the coals.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- To get ahead, mix your dry ingredients in a resealable plastic bag before heading out on your camping trip.
- If you like lots of crusty craggly bits on the outside of your loaf, don't overwork it when bringing it all together. Stop pressing it together when it still has some loose uneven edges.
- If you're making your Dutch oven camping bread on a bed of hot embers or coals and are using a smaller Dutch oven (3 to 5 quarts), you can use less coals, but always keep the same ratio of 2:1 coals on top to coals on bottom. I recommend using 8 below and 16 on top for smaller pots.
Storage
Store any leftover bread wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you'd like to reheat it, wrap the remaining loaf or slices of bread in foil and rewarm in the oven or over hot coals.
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Recipe
Dutch Oven Irish Soda Bread
Equipment
- Dutch oven (any size)
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) or prepare hot coals or embers in a fire pit.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour in 1 ¼ cups of buttermilk and fold to combine. Add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a dough that sticks together, but isn't wet.
- Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper and shape into a round ball.
- Transfer the parchment and dough to the Dutch oven and score a deep X on the loaf with a sharp knife.
- Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and transfer to the oven or to the fire pit. If cooking in a fire pit, place 9 hot coals or embers underneath the Dutch oven and 18 on top of the lid. (See note below if you are using a small Dutch oven.)
- If cooking in the oven, bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook until golden brown, about 35 minutes more.If cooking in the fire pit, bake the loaf, replenishing coals as needed, until deep golden brown, about 55 minutes.
- Remove from the Dutch oven and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Get ahead--Mix your dry ingredients in a resealable plastic bag before heading out on your camping trip.
- More crusty bits--If you like lots of crusty craggly bits on the outside of your loaf, don't overwork it when bringing it all together. Stop pressing it together when it still has some loose uneven edges.
- Smaller Dutch ovens--If you're making your Dutch oven camping bread on a bed of hot embers or coals and are using a smaller Dutch oven (3 to 5 quarts), you can use less coals, but always keep the same ratio of 2:1 coals on top to coals on bottom. I recommend using 8 below and 16 on top for smaller pots.
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