This Spotted Dog recipe is an easy Irish soda bread made with dried fruit and is ready to eat in less than 1 hour! Perfect accompaniment for a St Patrick's Day menu or anytime you need a quick bread.
This Spotted Dog recipe is an Irish classic! It's a super easy soda quick bread made with currants or raisins (that's the spotted part!)
My variation has dried cranberries in it, but feel free to make it your own by adding whatever dried fruit you prefer.
How to make a quick bread
A quick bread is made from a very simple, easy dough with minimal preparation and time.
Baking powder and/or baking soda are used as the leavening agent, so no yeast means no rising time!
The bread can be baked immediately after mixing it up, hence the name "quick bread".
Here's how to make it:
- Be sure to sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda together, so there's no clumps.
- When mixing up the dough, DON'T KNEAD IT, like yeast bread dough. Instead lightly mix it, just enough to incorporate all the ingredients together and form the loaf. I treat it like I'm making biscuits and try to keep some of the butter pieces whole throughout the dough.
- After the dough is formed into a round loaf, cut a 'X' on top before going into the oven.
Spotted Dog is delicious served warm from the oven, spread with butter.
Every year I make a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner for St Patrick's Day and serve it with this bread.
Even though this bread is better when eaten the same day, the crispy crust allows for the bread to stay fresher longer.
The tender interior stays moist surrounded by a nicely browned exterior.
The leftovers are also wonderful toasted up the next morning or turned into this Cranberry Irish French Toast with Whiskey Butter.
Is a Spotted Dog the same as a Spotted Dick recipe
A spotted dick is a British steamed dessert pudding (cake) with dried fruit in the dough, so it looks spotted.
It's sometimes referred to as a spotted dog, as the terms "dick" and "dog" have been used interchangeably in the past to describe a pudding.
Obviously, it's completely different and not at all the same as an Irish spotted dog soda bread.
More Irish recipes
- Irish Stout Lamb Stew
- Slow Cooker Colcannon
- Irish French Toast
- Blueberry Granola Soda Bread
- Irish Coffee
Enjoy making this super easy and quick version of Irish Spotted Dog bread! Please let me know in the comments below how you like it and what dried fruit you used in the recipe.
RECIPE
Irish Spotted Dog
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- 1 whole egg, lightly beaten
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk, if needed to moisten
- Optional: serve with Irish Coffee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C degrees.
- In a large bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon baking powder. Mix 3 tablespoons butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or use your fingers. Add ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the ¾ cup plain yogurt and 1 egg. Add the yogurt/egg mixture to the flour mixture and GENTLY mix with your hands to form a round loaf. Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk, as needed, to moisten the dough.
- Place the round loaf on a parchment paper or silpat lined cookie sheet. Take a knife and lightly cut a 'X' on the top of loaf. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on top.
- Transfer loaf to wire rack and let cool at least 5 minutes before cutting into slices.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Quick breads are best eaten the day they are made. To store leftovers, place bread in a sealed plastic bag and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- For longer storage, freeze in a freezer proof bag for up to 3 months.
- Got leftovers? Make this Cranberry Irish French Toast
Let me know what you think about the recipe below!