Quick, easy and delicious – these Easy Soda Bread Rolls are made entirely from storecupboard ingredients. The perfect thing to make when you’ve run out of bread and can’t get to the shops! Better still, they can be made in under 30 minutes.
Easy Soda Bread Rolls
It seems like you guys just can’t get enough of my soda bread recipes! In fact, my soda bread recipes are among the most popular recipes on this website… (I LOVE looking through all the photos of your recreations of my soda bread recipes you send me over on Instagram!)
But one recipe has been missing – until now – and that’s soda bread rolls. (One of my most requested recipes, in fact!)
Oh but boy were they worth waiting for… these soda bread rolls are truly awesome. In fact, so awesome that I hardly ever make full sized soda bread at home any more – I pretty much only make soda bread rolls!
Why are soda bread rolls even more awesome than a soda bread loaf? 3 reasons:
- They cook quicker… in just 15-20 minutes, in fact!
- There’s no need to faff about slicing it – everyone gets their own roll.
- Even more of that gorgeous crunchy crust per person… and so, consequently, fewer arguments over who gets the crusty bits. (Tell me we are not the only ones to argue over the crusty bits?!)
Why soda bread is so awesome!
Soda bread is utterly awesome because it’s fast and involves very little work. All you have to do is mix up your dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda), add in your wet ingredients (milk and vinegar), shape it and bake it! No faffing around with kneading and proving… or waiting around for hours!
In fact, these fab little soda bread rolls can be made in just 30 minutes – perfect for when you’ve run out of bread and can’t get to the shops… or when you just really fancy gorgeous crusty warm bread… but with none of the hassle!
And honestly, soda bread tastes just as good as regular yeasted bread (I’d argue it tastes even better, actually!) Granted, soda bread does have a slightly denser texture and crustier crust – but that all just adds to its charm, IMHO ?
Soda bread with storecupboard ingredients
The best thing about these rolls, though, is that they can be made 100% from storecupboard ingredients. In other words, there’s no need to buy in any special ingredients. If you have flour, salt, baking soda, vinegar and milk in your house you can make these Easy Soda Bread Rolls.
No need for buttermilk in soda bread…
Best of all, there’s no need to buy in any buttermilk to make this soda bread recipe… which I know quite a few of you find hard to get hold of.
I also think one of the joys of soda bread is being able to whip it up at a moment’s notice. Which is a little tricky when the recipe calls for ‘buttermilk’ – because how many of us have buttermilk always on hand in the fridge? Not me!
In place of buttermilk, these days I use a mixture of 200ml (7oz) milk (cows’ milk or plant-based depending on my mood and what’s in the fridge!) and 1 tablespoon of vinegar (my preference is apple cider vinegar, but you can also use white wine vinegar – or even red wine vinegar as a push. I’d steer clear of malt vinegar, though!)
If you don’t have any milk, you could even use water. And if you don’t have any vinegar, you could use lemon juice.
You could also substitute the milk/vinegar combo for the same quantity of yogurt (you may need a splash of water to get the consistency right.)
And if you really do have buttermilk lurking in your fridge, then by all means use buttermilk instead! I find this recipe works best with 285ml (10oz) buttermilk.
Soda bread variations to try
This recipe is wonderfully adaptable… so feel free to experiment with this base recipe to find your perfect version! (And if you come up with a good one, do let me know about it. Either in the comments below or over on Instagram. Bonus points for photos!)
For example, you could try almost any combination of flour: the recipe below calls for 150g plain white flour and 200g wholemeal flour. But honestly you can use 100% white, 100% wholemeal or any combination you like of the two. You can also experiment with speciality flours, such as rye and spelt. One of my favourite combinations is 50/50 rye and wholemeal!
You can also add in some lovely ‘extras’. My favourite additions are either 75g mixed seeds or 100g grated mature cheddar cheese. But feel free to try any combination you like of seeds, nuts and cheeses.
You could also add herbs, spices, oats or dried fruit. Enjoy experimenting!
Should you use self-raising flour in soda bread?
No – absolutely not! If you do, you’ll end up with something that resembles a savoury scone. It might still be tasty, but it won’t have the taste or texture of bread! If you want to end up with soda bread, you must use plain flour – any kind: white, wholemeal, granary, rye etc. but it must be plain!
Should you use bread flour in soda bread?
Weirdly, no! Soda bread is traditionally made using plain flour. I’ve experimented with using bread flour in soda bread before and it just isn’t as nice as when I use plain flour. So stick to bread flour in regular yeasted bread and plain flour in soda bread!
What to eat with soda bread rolls
You can use these Easy Soda Bread Rolls anywhere you’d use regular bread rolls. But they are nicest when served warm.
I love to serve them alongside soup – in fact my favourite Sunday evening meal is a big bowl of vegetable soup and a warm – straight from the oven – soda bread roll. Especially perfect when the weather outside is frightful!
You can also serve these Easy Soda Bread Rolls with a selection of cold meats, cheeses and salads for a kind of soda bread version of a ploughman’s.
Alternatively, they are delicious with cream cheese and smoked salmon or bacon and scrambled eggs… Or honestly, any sandwich filling you like!
How long do soda bread rolls keep?
Umm… about 5 minutes in our house! Seriously, soda bread doesn’t last quite as long as regular bread. These soda bread rolls will taste good for 24-48 hours. If you think you are not likely to finish them up in that time, I’d freeze them.
Can you freeze soda bread rolls?
Absolutely! Soda bread freezes very well. Simply put them in a plastic lidded container and place them in the freezer, where they’ll keep for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature – they’ll take 3-4 hours to fully defrost.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Traditional Irish Soda Bread
- Easy White Soda Bread
- Easy Wholemeal Soda Bread
- Easy Granary Soda Bread
- Pumpkin Seed and Rye Soda Bread
- Guinness and Treacle Soda Bread
- Easy Cheese Soda Bread
Easy Soda Bread Rolls
Ingredients
- 150 g plain white flour (see Note 1)
- 200 g wholemeal flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (see Note 2)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (see Note 3)
- 200 ml milk regular or plant-based (see Note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F. Dust a non-stick baking tray with a little flour.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flours, salt and baking soda.
- In a jug mix together the vinegar and milk.
- Pour the milk/vinegar mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Bring the dough together into a ball using your hands. The dough should just come together into a ball, but shouldn’t be wet and sloppy. If it doesn’t all come together add a splash of water. If it’s too wet and sloppy add a touch more flour.
- Divide the dough into 4 roughly even balls and place on your prepared baking tray.
- Flatten each ball a little and then cut a deep cross in each roll. The cross should go almost to the base of each roll – but not quite!
- Bake the rolls in your pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked all the way through and golden on top.
- Ideally, serve warm – straight out of the oven!
Video
Notes
- You can use any combination of flours you like (white, wholemeal, granary, rye etc.) but make sure that you use regular 'plain' / 'all purpose' flour NOT bread flour and NOT self-raising flour.
- Be sure to use baking soda (which is the same as bicarbonate of soda) DO NOT use baking powder, which is a different thing entirely!
- Alternatively, you can use white wine vinegar or lemon juice. At a push you could use red wine vinegar, but DO NOT use malt vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
- I have successfully used regular cow's milk, almond milk and oat milk here. You can use any plant-based milk you like here, but beware that strongly flavoured milks, such as hazelnut or coconut will affect the taste of the bread (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your preferences!)
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Janice says
Absolutely brilliant! The perfect quick bread and I’d never have thought to make it into rolls – good call.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Janice – it works so well as rolls 😀 I almost never make full sized soda bread now! Eb 🙂
Lesley says
We all love soda bread, particularly my youngest who likes to get involved baking bread. I love the idea of individual bread rolls, particularly given you’ve kept them in such a traditional shape. I’ll give these a try next time.
Eb Gargano says
Oh if you like soda bread, you have to try the rolls – they are just awesome! Eb 🙂
Karen Booth says
I LOVE all kinds of quick breads, and these look fabulous. Such a great idea for a midweek stew or soup. Thanks so much for linking up to #CookBlogShare week 6, Karen
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Karen – they are just perfect with soups and stews. We have them at least twice a week these days 😀
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
This is such a neat idea! I never thought of making them into rolls before!!
Eb Gargano says
Oh you have to try it… it works so well! Eb 🙂
Jacqui – Recipes Made Easy:Only Crumbs Remain says
another vote for soda bread much under rated. My Irish mother in law got me into making soda bread. Making rolls is a great idea quick to make and quick to cook win win!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Jacqui! Eb 🙂
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
What an amazing idea! I love how quick and easy soda bread is and these rolls look so cute!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Cat – I’m so pleased you like my recipe 😀
BA says
aah I never leave comments on recipe sites but this recipe is SO GOOD and SUCHALIFESAVER that I just had to say THANK YOU! Literally I’m leaving for the airport to catch a flight, I have no time to dash to a shop, (and I have serious allergies so I can’t buy food at the airport) the bread I’d made before is *totally stale* so not suitable for the sandwiches I’d planned for me and the hubby. The previous soda bread recipe I used before took about 2 hours to make and came out terrible. Then I found this recipe which is so so easy to follow and 100% can be made with stuff anyone has lying around at home perfect!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay – that’s so great to hear! I am delighted this worked out so well for you 😀 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review… and especially for the 5 stars! Eb 🙂
Carmen says
I used oat milk and white flour only (used slightly more of it) and it worked out perfectly for me, thank you!
Eb Gargano says
Yay – that’s so great to hear! Thanks for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating 😀