Irish Soda Bread Muffins (Printable Version)

Wholesome muffins with oats and sweet raisins, inspired by traditional Irish soda bread.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, plus extra for topping
03 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Fruit

07 - 3/4 cup raisins

→ Wet Ingredients

08 - 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
09 - 1 large egg
10 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease with butter.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - Stir raisins into dry ingredients until evenly distributed throughout.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and melted butter until well combined.
05 - Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour wet mixture into it. Stir gently until just combined; avoid overmixing.
06 - Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle additional oats on top of each muffin for garnish.
07 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Allow muffins to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • They taste like comfort in your mouth—soft, subtly sweet, with that Irish bread character but in manageable muffin form.
  • Ready in 35 minutes start to finish, which means breakfast or afternoon tea without the fuss of baking a full loaf.
02 -
  • Buttermilk is non-negotiable here—its acidity reacts with baking soda to create lift and tenderness, something plain milk simply won't do.
  • The moment you see the batter come together, stop stirring; I learned this by making a batch that turned brick-hard when I got overzealous mixing in a few more raisins.
03 -
  • Room temperature buttermilk and egg mix more smoothly than cold ones, so pull them from the fridge 15 minutes before you start.
  • If your muffin tops dome unevenly, fill the cups only two-thirds full instead of three-quarters, and the rise will be more consistent across the batch.
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