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Chocolate Chocolate Chip Irish Soda Bread

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Chocolate Chocolate Chip Irish Soda Bread
Irish soda bread is a type of quick bread that uses baking soda, rather than yeast, as a leavener. The most basic type of soda bread uses only flour, buttermilk, baking soda and salt, and makes a dense, hearty loaf that goes well with many types of dishes. The basic bread recipe is very versatile, and it is easy to put your own twist on it by adding in raisins, nuts or herbs. Most soda breads tend to a bit plain or they verge on savory, but there is no reason that you couldn’t have a soda bread that is a little sweeter and that is exactly what this Chocolate Chocolate Chip Irish Soda Bread is.

This soda bread variation has cocoa powder in the bread dough, which gives the loaf a rich color and a nice chocolate flavor. I added a little bit of sugar and vanilla to the dough, which helps the chocolate flavor to “pop” and the loaf to taste balanced – slightly sweet, but not too sweet. And, since I wanted even more chocolate, I packed the bread with mini chocolate chips. It is moist, dense and delicious – not to mention that it is a fun variation on a traditional Irish soda bread!

The best time to eat this soda bread is when it is still slightly warm from the oven. The mini chocolate chips will be slightly melted when the loaf hasn’t cooled completely, and you get a lot of chocolate flavor in every bite. It is also excellent toasted and spread with butter, jam (esp. strawberry), peanut butter or Nutella. As is the case with many soda breads, they can seem a little bit more dense the day after baking, so if you have leftovers, you might even consider making some chocolate french toast with them, as well as just toasting .

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Irish Soda Bread

Chocolate Chip Irish Soda Bread
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir until well-blended. Add in buttermilk and vanilla and stir until a thick dough starts to come together. Add in chocolate chips and stir or knead until well distributed in the dough.
If the dough is too dry to come together after a few minutes, add in an additional tablespoon or so of buttermilk. If the dough is very sticky (it should be slightly sticky), add an additional tablespoon or so of flour.
Shape dough into a large, round loaf and place on prepared baking sheet. Use a sharp knife and cut a large “X” in the top of the dough, letting the knife cut about 1/2-inch into the loaf.
Bake for 45 minutes, until the top of the loaf is slightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 large loaf.

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6 Comments
  • Dru @ Teenage Cakeland
    March 11, 2013

    I looove Irish soda bread and was searching for a good recipe, and this looks perfect! You can never ever ever have enough chocolate in your soda bread.

  • Holiday Baker Man
    March 11, 2013

    Just what soda bread needed. Thanks!

  • Cookin Canuck
    March 11, 2013

    What a great take on the standard Irish soda bread. And I agree…it’s always best fresh from the oven.

  • Mary Ellen
    March 13, 2013

    Delicious! Made it this morning, I don’t think it will last till tomorrow. Nice twist on an old favorite. Thanks, I always find something interesting here.

  • Julia
    April 2, 2013

    I recently tried your recipe in search of an easy-no rise bread. I came across this one, and it sounded delicious! Never having tried Irish soda bread before, I found this to be a great simple recipe for an easy treat. It did however get some mixed reviews in my home; some people absolutely loved it, while others not so much. I personally though it tasted quite nice. It was a breeze to make, and it filled the house will a wonderful aroma. I agree with Mary Ellen, it did taste the best right out of the oven!
    Instead of using small chocolate chips, I used regular sized ones, and it worked just as well.
    I will be making this again sometime soon!
    Thanks for the recipe.

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