Soda Farls
Traditional Soda Farls are a quick and easy Irish bread made without yeast and cooked in a pan or on a griddle. Ready in as little as 30 minutes and made with just a handful of simple ingredients, they’re perfect served warm with butter, as part of your St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
If you’re looking for an easy, delicious bread that you can make in less than 40 minutes (start to finish), look no further than Soda Farls!
This traditional Irish soda farls recipe is quick and simple to make, using just a handful of inexpensive ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard. They’re soft, fluffy, and incredibly satisfying – proof that simple baking is often the best.
Much like Soda Bread, soda farls have a long history in Ireland. They became a staple in many households during the Irish famine thanks to their cheap ingredients and filling nature. Made with just flour, buttermilk, bicarbonate of soda and salt, they were an accessible bread that could be prepared quickly without yeast.
Historically, soda farls would have been cooked on a griddle over an open fire. These days, they’re most often made on the stovetop using a griddle pan or a simple frying pan.
Maybe not quite as traditional, but certainly more suited to the average modern kitchen!
They’re also a brilliant bread to make for St Patrick’s Day celebrations, especially when served warm with butter or as part of a proper Irish breakfast.
Ingredients for Irish Soda Farls:
Plain Flour
Much like our Soda Bread recipe, plain flour is all that is required for Soda Farls. Plain flour forms the base of the dough. Because soda bread uses bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast, plain flour is used rather than self-raising flour. You can also use some wholemeal flour, or even a combination of wholemeal and white flour, should you so desire.
Bicarbonate of Soda
Bicarbonate of soda is the raising agent in soda farls. When it reacts with the acidity in the buttermilk, it creates bubbles that help the farls rise as they bake. The bicarbonate of soda is also where traditional Soda Farls get their name, of course.
Salt
Salt enhances the flavour of the bread and balances the tang from the buttermilk.
Buttermilk
If we’re going for traditional soda farls, it has to be buttermilk. Buttermilk provides the acidity needed to activate the bicarbonate of soda. It also gives soda bread its soft texture and slightly tangy flavour.
If, however, you can’t get hold of buttermilk, or you want the option to make it without, you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to milk (dairy or soya works best) and leaving it for 30 minutes before using. I would always recommend using slightly less milk in this instance, as buttermilk tends to be naturally thicker. See the recipe notes for more info.
Tips for easy Soda Farls:
• Handle the Dough Lightly: Much like scones, soda farls need a light touch. Avoid overworking the dough, or you’ll knock out the air before it has a chance to bake. Mix only until everything just comes together.
• Don’t Add too Much Flour When Shaping: Soda fars dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Adding too much flour while shaping can make the finished loaf dense and dry. If you find your dough is too sticky to work with, add a little less buttermilk next time.
• No buttermilk? No problem: Simply use some regular milk with a little vinegar or lemon juice stirred through, to create the required acidity. See the Recipes Notes for full instructions.
• Low and Slow: Keep your griddle/frying pan on a low heat. These are a slow and steady bake to ensure you get a lovely golden colour and sufficient rise.
• A Little Bit Flat: Not risen as much as you’d thought they would? You’ve probably just overworked the dough and knocked a bit of the air out of it. But be sure to check the date on your bicarbonate of soda too – you want it well within its use-by date for the very best rise in your Soda Farls.
Save this recipe!
Want to save this recipe for later? Pop your email below and come back to it when you’re ready to bake.
Irish Soda Farls
INGREDIENTS
- 300 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- ½ tsp Ground Sea Salt
- 250 ml Buttermilk (see notes for alternative)
EQUIPMENT
- Griddle Pan (or frying pan)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place your griddle/frying pan on a low heat on your hob to start warming up.
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Make a well into the middle before pouring in the buttermilk.
- Gently stir together, being caution not to mix too vigorously. Once the wet and dry ingredients have started to come together and you can no longer mix with a spoon/spatula, use your floured hands to form it into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and very gently knead it into a loose ball – try not to knead it more than 2-4 turns to do this.
- Gently flatten out the dough into a circle with your hands, until about 20-25cm (8-9 inches) in diameter. Cut the circle into four triangles (farls).
- Transfer the farls to your [dry] pre-heated griddle/frying pan. Allow to bake on a low heat, on one side for 8-10 minutes until golden in colour, before flipping over and repeating on the other side. Your farls should rise a little whilst baking too.
- Once baked on both side, transfer to a wire rack to cool a little, before serving whilst still warm.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
NOTES:
Substitutions:
- Buttermilk: If you are unable to get buttermilk locally or would prefer a dairy-free option, simply replace the buttermilk with 250ml of milk mixed with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or 1 tbsp lemon juice. Mix about 30 minutes before use to allow the milk to thicken ever so slightly. Be sure to add the milk gradually, as you may not need it all.
- Flour: Traditional soda farls are made with plain white flour (all-purpose flour), but you can try substituting some of the flour with wholemeal flour for a slightly nuttier flavour and denser loaf.
Storage
Soda Farls are best enjoyed on the day they are baked, but they will keep for up to 2-3 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If they start to dry out, they are lovely lightly toasted with butter.Freezing
Soda Farls freeze well. Allow the farls to cool completely before wrapping tightly and freezing for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and warm slightly before serving if desired.Soda Farls are a yeast-free bread, similar to Soda Bread, but instead of baking it in an oven, you bake them on the stovetop, traditionally using a griddle, but it is also possible to use a frying pan.
Unlike yeast breads, Soda Farls rely on the reaction between the bicarbonate of soda and the acid in the buttermilk to give them their rise, as well as their familiar flavour. This also makes them incredibly easy to make, in very little time.
Soda Farls are very easy to make. You only need 4 ingredients: flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and buttermilk. You simply combine them all together, being very cautious with your mixing and kneading – like Soda Bread, Soda Farls need a light touch. Then use your hands to flatten the dough into a circle before cutting it into 4 individual triangular rolls.
You then “bake” them on a griddle or frying pan, flipping halfway through, ensuring both sides are a lovely golden colour, and your Farls have a nice rise.
The “soda” part – unsurprisingly – comes from the fact that Soda Farls are made with bicarbonate of soda.
The “farls” part, however, comes from the Gaelic word “fardel”, which means “four part”. So, referring to the way Soda Farls are cut into four pieces before baking.
Soda Farls are best enjoyed shortly after making, preferably whilst still warm. My favourite way to enjoy them is with a spread of butter and a dollop of jam.
Alternatively, they can be a great breakfast addition, used in place of a Morning Roll, with whatever your favourite breakfast roll filling may be.
Or, in perhaps the most iconic way, as part of an Ulster Fry – Ireland’s answer to a cooked breakfast.
Free-from & Vegan:
Nut-free: There are no nuts in this recipe for Soda Farls, but be sure to double-check your individual ingredients for any hidden nuts.
Egg-free: There are no eggs used in this recipe, but be sure to check your individual ingredients for any hidden eggs.
Dairy-free: To make these Soda Farls dairy-free, use 250ml of your dairy-free milk of choice (in place of the buttermilk in the recipe), mixed with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Prepare your milk mixture about 30 minutes before, which will allow your milk to thicken ever-so slightly.
Vegan: To make these Vegan Soda Farls, use the dairy-free tip above.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
My husband kept going on about his grand soda farls, his family are from Eire, I found your recipe and gave it a go, the memories for him are priceless, thank you
These turned out perfect! I used to love eating farls but went vegan around a decade ago. It never occurred to me to look for a recipe and turn it vegan!
I will say if anyone is making them dairy free, the best milk for making vegan buttermilk is soy. It curdles much better due to the higher protein content.
Thanks so much for this recipe, so pleased!
Another successful recipe from you. Thank you. As with most plain scones I make, I made these farls in my food processor and can recommend doing it this way for a quick, no mess and well risen outcome.
Thanks for the recipe, Amy, i will definitely try it. As a Northern Ireland girl the best way to serve soda farls, which I do, way too often, is as part of an Ulster Fry with potato farls, bacon, steak sausage, and fried egg, not forgetting veg roll. All fried and not healthy but no better way to start the day.
First time my attempt at baking something new has resembled yours! Usually takes me a few attempts to get my bakes looking pretty but I don’t mind as everything always tastes great. And these are just that! Followed your recipe, instructions to the letter……delicious!
Off to bake my bread now. Your recipe of course. It’s my staple.