Description
These Skillet Irish Soda Bread Minis are rustic, tender, and bursting with flavor from fennel and caraway seeds. Perfectly golden and buttery, they're quick to prepare and baked right in a cast iron skillet for a delightful crust. Ideal for a cozy snack or as a side with soups and stews.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons crushed fennel and caraway seeds
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk
For Cooking
- 3 tablespoons butter (1 tablespoon for greasing skillet, 2 tablespoons for brushing rolls)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare skillet. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the butter to prevent sticking and add flavor.
- Mix dry ingredients and add buttermilk. In a large bowl, combine the flour, kosher salt, baking soda, and crushed fennel and caraway seeds. Make a shallow well in the center and pour in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. Stir gently with a wooden spoon, incorporating all the flour into the buttermilk. Add more buttermilk one tablespoon at a time as needed until the dough just comes together, being careful not to overmix.
- Shape the dough. Turn the sticky, craggy dough onto a clean surface. Wet your hands with water to prevent sticking, then quickly knead the dough into a flattened disk. Divide the dough into 5 or 6 roughly equal pieces and form each into a ball.
- Arrange dough balls in skillet. Place the dough balls in the prepared cast iron skillet, spacing them evenly without packing too tightly to allow for rising and expansion during baking.
- Bake and brown the rolls. Bake the mini loaves in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. While baking, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan.
- Brush with butter and finish baking. At the 15-minute mark, the tops of the rolls should start to brown. Remove the skillet from the oven and brush each roll generously with the melted butter. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the bread is golden with nicely browned peaks.
- Rest and serve. Remove the skillet from the oven and let the bread rest until cool enough to handle. Split open the minis and spread more butter on the warm insides. Enjoy the irresistible aroma and taste of freshly baked Irish soda bread.
Notes
- Use cold buttermilk straight from the fridge to help activate the baking soda properly.
- Do not overmix the dough; it should remain slightly sticky and rustic in texture for the best crumb.
- If you don’t have fennel seeds, you can use all caraway seeds or substitute with anise seeds for a similar licorice flavor.
- The cast iron skillet helps create a crisp crust, but a heavy ovenproof pan will work if you don’t have one.
- Serve warm with butter, jam, or alongside hearty soups and stews for a comforting meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini loaf
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
