A lovely Irish soda bread dotted with raisins.
This Irish soda bread, or spotted dog, recipe makes a perfectly crusty, just-sweet-enough loaf of buttermilk soda bread, loaded with golden raisins. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or a simple cup of tea year ’round. Get the recipe.
Meet This Authentic Irish Spotted Dog Recipe
Most people make an Irish soda bread recipe around St. Patrick’s Day. But in truth, this easy spotted dog recipe (the raisins are the spots) should be baked year ’round. It’s not so sweet that it can be mistaken for a gigantic scone, but not so plain that it seems like normal bread. The crust is hearty and thick, but the bread inside tastes slightly sweet; it’s tender and light with a good amount of raisins for extra flavor.
This spotted dog recipe is authentically Irish, adapted from Ballymaloe Cookery School‘s recipe in Shanagarry, Ireland, home of Darina Allen and her group of excellent Irish cooks. It’s a white flour, free-form loaf. Spotted dog is cousin to the more traditional, earthy Irish brown bread soda bread, which you’ll find everywhere in Ireland, from the breakfast table to sandwiches.
Why soda bread differs from “regular” bread
Soda bread does not use yeast. Its leavening comes from a reaction between the alkaline baking soda and acidic buttermilk, resulting in a crusty, tender risen loaf that is still satisfyingly dense, yet not at all heavy.
Love a little something sweet for St. Patrick’s Day? Get the recipe for Irish Potato Candies, a Philly tradition.
How to Make This Spotted Dog Recipe
This is an easy recipe that can be made by hand and bakes in under an hour. Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cold butter, cut into small pieces
- Golden raisins or sultanas
- All-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal brand)
- Sugar
- Buttermilk
- One egg
- Demerara sugar to top the bread (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly grease a half-sheet pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk.
- Using your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the raisins and egg and buttermilk mixture to the center. Gently mix the dough together into a shaggy mass.
- Turn the dough out onto the sheet pan. Shape it into a domed mound. With a sharp knife, let the fairies out by cutting a deep cross into the dough. Brush the top with a bit of buttermilk. Sprinkle a generous spoonful of Demerara sugar on top, if you like.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the bottom sounds very hollow when tapped, and everything is a lovely golden brown.
How to Serve Spotted Dog
This spotted dog recipe is just this side of sweet from raisins and just a touch of sugar. It’s prefect served with butter, jam, and a strong cup of Irish tea.
Irish soda bread will keep for a couple of days, but tastes best fresh on the first day, preferably warm from the oven. Let it cool a bit before you slice and slather it with good Irish butter.
Tips for Best Results
- Be sure to soak the golden raisins (the “dog spots”) in warm water for 10 or 15 minutes before using them in the dough. Dried fruit will always seek rehydration, so better to soften them with water than have them pull moisture from the dough as it bakes and make the bread taste dry.
- Do not overwork the dough. It should still be shaggy and lumpy when you turn it out from the bowl. Gather and press it into a ball; don’t knead it into one. If the dough is a tight ball, you overworked it.
You will also enjoy: High-Rise Buttermilk Biscuits
Do you make this Irish soda bread recipe for St. Patrick’s Day? What St. Patrick’s Day food traditions do you enjoy? Share in the comments.
Originally published March 5, 2023. Updated March 9, 2025.
Spotted Dog (Irish Soda Bread With Raisins)
Ingredients
- 1 cup golden raisins or sultanas
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk, plus more to brush the top of the soda bread
- 1 egg
- Demerara sugar to top the bread (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly grease a half-sheet pan.
- In a small bowl, pour warm water over the raisins and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to soften the raisins. Drain.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir well with a whisk to combine the ingredients and aerate them.
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.
- Using your fingers, cut the butter into the dry goods bowl until the butter is the size of small peas.
- Create a well in the center of the dry mixture. Add the raisins and whisked egg and buttermilk to the center. Use your fingers to draw the flour into the center and mix the dough together. Do not overmix. The dough should look mostly sticky and combined, but shaggy and in clumps.
- Sprinkle a little flour on your hands and the top of the dough, then turn the dough out onto the sheet pan. Shape it into a domed mound. PRO TIP: Hand sticky and full of dough? The best way to remove it is to put a generous amount of flour on your hands and rub them together. Then wash.
- With a sharp knife, let the fairies out by cutting a deep cross into the dough. Brush the top with a bit of buttermilk. Sprinkle a generous spoonful of Demerara sugar on top, if you like.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the bottom sounds very hollow when tapped, and everything is a lovely golden brown. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
26 comments
Ricki
So delicious, we all enjoyed it so much especially with the yummy Irish butter.
Thx for another wonderful recipe
Lisa
Good morning Lisa!
I haven’t commented or questioned for a while-all tge weather we’ve been getting has me tending to our horses,and taking care of our ranch (we live in the San Jauquin Valley).
I’m 100% Irish ??,and decided this month I’ll be baking & cooking all things Irish (uhh…I will at least try-lol).
I’ve got some questions about this recipe: I see it says to use golden raisins,but the pictures look as though it was made w “regular “ -the usual brown Sun Maid raisins (btw a very good friend of mine,his mother was the inspiration for the original “maiden” that is on all the boxes of Sun Maid).
Secondly, I have on hand “Lily White Flour” in our pantry (I use it for the biscuit recipe because I read that’s the flour to be using for fluffy biscuits. Between your recipe & Jenn’s and all the guidance you both provide,and that particular flour,I’ve become a pretty good biscuit baker ! Would Lily White be worth using here? I also have King Arthur & Gold Medal…
Hope everything is going well. I know I haven’t commented for a while as I mentioned above,but please know I’m still baking ,cooking & reading your emails & looking forward to them!
From one of your fans ……
Thanks!
Lisa
Unpeeled
Hi, Lisa! Good to hear from you. In answer to your questions, I actually did use golden raisins, but it doesn’t look like it because the outer raisins kinda got “toasty” in the baking process, darkening significantly. You can certainly use golden or purple raisins, though!
As for flour, White Lily is lovely! I bet it would make a very tender and delicious soda bread. I say go for it!
MarieJ. Racaniello
I found the recipe to be lacking in any sweetness at all. The 3 tablespoons of sugar is underwhelming. I would up it next time close to 1/2 cup sugar.
Marie
Unpeeled
Thanks for the comment, Marie. Yes, this is not a very sweet soda bread recipe, but I think adjusting it to your tastes is a great idea.
FrankieR.
Loved this and will use this recipe from now on. I should have made it a little rounder but it was crusty and so good. Thanks!!!
Carol
Lisa I loved the soda bread made it for some friends and they loved it too .. thanks for great tips too esp about the fairies …
Unpeeled
Yea!! So glad you enjoyed making (and eating) this. I love the fairies part of the recipe, too 🙂
Sarah Currie
Re St. Patrick’s Day food: we make soda bread, homemade corned beef, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, homemade Irish cream, Bill Clarke’s shamrock shake cake. Fun holiday. Thank you for this recipe and for your newsletters. I need frequent inspiration for menu planning.
Unpeeled
This all sounds so delicious! Have to look up that wonderful sheet cake recipe. Thanks for writing.
Eileen McG.
The crust on this is excellent and I loved the flavor. Ate it hot with some Irish butter this afternoon and it made my day 🙂
T.R.T.
I made this over the weekend and it was gone in about an hour. This soda bread has a really nice crust and was not dry at all.
Emmah
This turned out great, and everyone loved it. I will have to remember this one outside of St Patty’s day since the recipe was so easy. Thanks!
Helen
Yum!!!
Ricki
Turned out perfectly and was delicious. Soaked the raisins and they were nice and soft in the bread. Thank you my family enjoyed the bread !