Irish Soda Bread Muffins
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Jam-packed with tiny sweet currants, flecked with caraway seeds, and sprinkled with coarse sugar, these Irish soda bread muffins are a delicious cross between muffins and scones.
These are no ordinary muffins. Subtly sweet with a distinctive craggy texture—and brimming with tiny currants and aromatic caraway seeds—these Irish soda bread muffins are crowned with a satisfying crunch of coarse sugar. Imagine them as a delightful cross between scones and muffins, or as I affectionately call them, “scuffins.”
Warm from the oven, they make a comforting breakfast treat, an excellent snack, or a rustic addition to any bread basket. And they reach new levels of deliciousness when smeared with salted Irish butter.
Table of Contents
“Truly, I have been thinking (obsessing?) about making these again since I first made them on St. Patrick’s Day. Today was the day. They’ve got a wonderful texture and flavor and come together so quickly and easily!”
What You’ll Need To Make Irish Soda Bread Muffins
- All-Purpose Flour and Whole Wheat Flour: Provide structure and texture to the muffins. The whole wheat flour helps give the muffins a nuttier, more complex flavor and extra nutrients. See information in the FAQs about other ways to use whole wheat flour.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents helping the muffins rise.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the muffins and adds moisture.
- Caraway Seeds: Add a unique flavor and aroma, characteristic of traditional Irish soda bread.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together and provides structure to the muffins.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and richness to the batter and the acidity in buttermilk helps the muffins rise. If you don’t have any on hand or don’t want to purchase a whole carton, see how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- Butter: Contributes richness and flavor to the muffins, enhancing their texture and taste.
- Currants: Provide bursts of sweetness and texture throughout the muffins, adding a fruity flavor reminiscent of traditional Irish soda bread.
- Turbinado Sugar: Adds a crunchy texture and caramelized sweetness to the muffin tops.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Begin by combining the dry ingredients — all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and caraway seeds — in a medium bowl.
Whisk to combine and set aside.
In a separate large bowl, combine the liquid ingredients: the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter.
Whisk to combine. The mixture may look a little curdled; that’s okay and normal.
Add the dry ingredients and the currants to the liquid mixture.
Use a rubber spatula to mix until just combined; the batter will be very thick. Do not overmix or the muffins may be tough.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the turbinado (or sparkling white) sugar evenly over the muffins.
Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and set and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool until you’re ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, yes, but, I promise, the whole wheat flour makes a big difference giving the muffins a more complex flavor! If you’re hesitant to buy a whole bag of whole wheat flour for just one recipe, I have several other recipes to help you use it up like morning glory muffins, apple muffins and Ovenly’s famous whole wheat banana bread.
You can omit the caraway seeds from your muffins, but including them adds a unique and distinctive flavor characteristic of traditional Irish soda bread. While commonly associated with savory dishes, caraway seeds can also complement sweeter baked goods like Irish-American soda bread, gingerbread, or shortbread cookies with their subtly sweet, anise-like flavor.
These muffins are best served warm out of the oven, but leftovers will keep for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Sure! The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
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Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Jam-packed with tiny sweet currants, flecked with caraway seeds, and sprinkled with coarse sugar, these Irish soda bread muffins are a delicious cross between muffins and scones.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- ½ cup whole wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1⅓ cups currants
- 1½ tablespoons turbinado or sparkling white sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a standard muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and caraway seeds.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter.
- Add the dry ingredients and the currants to the liquid mixture. Use a rubber spatula to mix until just combined; the batter will be very thick. Do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups about ¾ full. Sprinkle the turbinado (or sparkling white) sugar evenly over the muffins.
- Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and set and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to serve. Serve warm, preferably with salted butter.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Make-Ahead Instructions:These muffins are best served fresh out of the oven but leftovers will keep for a few days in a sealed container at room temperature.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 224
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Sugar: 19 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 184 mg
- Cholesterol: 32 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Well, everyone else seemed to love these. I don’t know what I did wrong. I’m usually fairly good at baking muffins or even at baking Irish Soda Bread. I’m sticking with the bread. I thought these were rather tasteless and would have been more so if not for the turbinado sugar added at the end. I followed the recipe exactly. (“the batter will be very thick”) No kidding! I almost threw it out at that point but decided to continue. Actually was surprised they didn’t turn out as dry as I expected when baked. Maybe if I made them again (unlikely) I’d used salted butter. I’ve got a lot of leftover currents now! Maybe raisins would have made them moister or maybe they would have sucked up the little moisture there was in the batter. Anyway, that’s my reaction. I’ve made several of your other muffin/cup cake recipes and have liked them a lot.
Perfect! I have always made the “Grandma Clark’s Irish Soda Bread” recipe for St. Patty’s day. However, since I decided to roast the corned beef and veggies this year (using your recipe – and thank you, so very much for that recipe!), I thought the muffins might make it easier/quicker to get everything on the table at once for the “feast.” The muffins (and timing) were just perfect!
And as I am writing this, my husband just thanked me (again) for the wonderful corned beef dinner and muffins (left-overs from last night).
You are making my husband so very happy – & me too! Thank you for all the happiness you are spreading around with your great recipes!
💕