Irish Soda Bread On The Grill

You can bake bread on a grill? Yes! It’s super easy.

The beauty of quick breads is that you don’t need any yeast. With this Irish soda bread recipe, you don’t even need an oven. With steady indirect heat and the lid down, your gas or charcoal grill functions like an outdoor oven. Luckily, Irish soda bread is one of the simplest breads ever devised. Not only is there no yeast, there’s no proofing time, and no kneading. This bread relies entirely on baking soda reacting with acidic buttermilk for lift, which makes it particularly well suited for baking on a grill. If your oven is full or you prefer to cook outdoors, this method delivers a tender crumb and crisp golden crust. The key is a stable temperature of 375°F using a two-zone grill setup.

The science of Irish soda bread

This bread depends on flour for structure, buttermilk for acidity, and baking soda for leavening. When buttermilk meets baking soda, lactic acid in the buttermilk interacts with the baking soda, producing carbon dioxide gas. This gas gets trapped in the dough or batter, causing it to rise and creating a light, tender texture. Click here to learn more about the science of baking soda. The leavening reaction begins immediately, so the dough should be baked soon after mixing. Like other quick breads, Irish soda bread does not benefit from resting. It’s also essential to mix the dough quickly and briefly without overhandling, as overmixing develops excess gluten and creates a tough, dense loaf instead of a tender one. It’s the same principle used when mixing up pancakes, another type of quick bread. The dough or batter should look slightly shaggy when fully mixed.

Traditional Irish soda bread has an “X” cut into the top, not as decoration, but because it allows heat to penetrate faster, which helps the dough expand into a higher, lighter loaf. When the bread is done, it should be lightly browned on top and register 200 to 205°F on an instant-read thermometer. At that temperature, the interior structure has set and the loaf will slice cleanly without being gummy.

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Irish Soda Bread on The Grill

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Bake this classic quick bread outside on your gas or charcoal grill. It's easy to make and bakes beautifully in a cast iron skillet.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients Method Approximate Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

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• 4 cups all-purpose flour plus some for dusting
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons cold salted butter cut in small pieces
• 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries optional

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Method

 

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1. Fire up. Preheat your grill to 375°F using a two-zone setup. On a gas grill, leave one burner on medium and one burner off, placing the bread over the unlit side. (If you have 3 or more burners, turn the outside burners on and the leave the middle burners off, placing the bread in the middle for more even heating.) On a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side and position the bread over the cooler side. Do not add wood chunks or smoke. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet on the grill while it preheats so the pan heats thoroughly. 
2. Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If using fruit, stir it in now. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Add this mixture to the flour and stir gently until just combined. The dough should look shaggy and slightly sticky. Do not overmix. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape it into a round about two inches thick. 
3. Add the dough to the pan. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the grill and lightly butter or grease it. Place the dough in the center and score a deep “X” across the top with a sharp knife. 
4. Bake. Return the skillet to the grill over indirect heat and close the lid. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, maintaining a steady temperature of 375°F. Rotate the pan if needed for even browning. The bread is done when the crust is golden brown, the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, and the internal temperature reaches 200 to 205°F. 
5. Cool and serve. Remove from the grill and cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

About the buttermilk. Buttermilk is acidic and acidity is necessary to activate the baking soda. If you don’t have buttermilk, combine one tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar with 1 3/4 cup whole milk and let it sit for five minutes before using.

About the sugar. If you prefer a less sweet loaf, you can reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons or omit it entirely. It does help with browning the outside though.

About the flour. For a more rustic loaf, you can replace up to 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, though the loaf will be slightly denser.

Playing around. For a savory variation, omit the sugar and dried fruit and add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs and/or 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, preferably Irish cheddar. If cast iron is unavailable, use any heavy oven-safe pan with a 2- to 3-quart capacity (such as a 9-inch square baking pan), keeping in mind that thinner pans may brown the bottom crust more quickly.

Approximate Nutrition

Calories: 421kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 9gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 564mgPotassium: 298mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 379IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 3mg

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