Irish Soda Farls is a quick and easy soda bread, made in a skillet, that’s lovely served with butter and jam for a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.
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This Northern Ireland skillet bread is traditionally served as part of an ‘Ulster Fry’, which includes fried eggs, bacon, black or white pudding, a soda farl, and sometimes with a tomato and mushroom on the side.
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What Is A Farl?
The word ‘farl’ comes from the Scottish word ‘fardel’, which means ‘four parts’. It refers to the way the bread is cut, in triangles. They have a taste that’s similar to English scones but are cooked in a hot skillet rather than baked in an oven.
The traditional farl recipe uses basic ingredients such as flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and buttermilk. The buttermilk and baking soda work together to rise the bread and the buttermilk lends a slightly tangy flavor.
Ingredients Needed
I love a recipe that uses only a few ingredients that I always have on hand. This is one of them.
- All-purpose flour
- Oat flour – this is optional but adds a nice flavor and texture to the farl. If you aren’t using oat flour, add another ½ cup of all-purpose flour instead.
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Buttermilk – You can make your own buttermilk by mixing together 1 cup of whole milk and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Allow the mixture to sit for five minutes before use.
Steps To Make This Recipe
- Sift together the dry ingredients and make a well in the center.
- Pour the buttermilk into the well.
- Stir together until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until it forms a round ball.
- Form the ball into a flattened disk and cut it into four triangles.
- Cook the triangles in a hot cast iron skillet until golden. Flip and cook the other side.
- Serve hot with butter and jam.
More Irish Recipes For St. Patrick’s Day
- St. Patrick’s Day Irish Flag Shot
- Irish Bangers And Mash
- Dutch Oven Irish Soda Bread
- Irish Boxty
- Irish Potato Leek Soup
- Irish Colcannon
- Comforting Shepherd’s Pie
- Oven Baked Corned Beef And Roasted Cabbage Steaks
- Savory Irish Beef Stew
- Boozy Irish Mint Shake
- Irish Coffee
Irish Soda Farls
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Irish Soda Farls is a quick and easy soda bread, made in a skillet, that’s lovely served with butter and jam for a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup oat flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup full-fat buttermilk
Instructions
Preheat a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, oat flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda together.
Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the buttermilk.
Mix the buttermilk into the flour mixture until a wet dough forms.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured board.
Knead the dough very lightly until it forms a round shape.
Pat the dough into a flat circle about ½-inch thick.
Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into quarters.
Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the bottom of the hot skillet so your farls don’t stick.
Place the farls into the skillet and cook for 15 minutes.
When the underside has formed a firm skin, flip the farls for another 10-15 minutes.
Use a wooden or metal skewer to check if the farl is cooked through. Keep cooking until the skewer, once inserted, comes out clean. You don’t want the middle of your farls to be undercooked and doughy.
Serve warm, split in half, with butter and jam.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pan fry
- Cuisine: Irish
Keywords: Irish soda farls, St. Patrick’s Day recipes, St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, Irish food, skillet bread, Irish breakfast, farls recipe
