A recipe for Irish Soda Farls! This easy buttermilk-based bread is cut into quadrants and cooked in a hot skillet until puffed and golden.
Secret Recipe Club
Today is a special event for the Secret Recipe Club! For those who haven’t seen my previous SRC posts, this club includes a group of bloggers who are assigned a different blog each month and secretly make a recipe to post on their specified reveal day.
There are four groups split among the four Mondays each month. Since February has an extra Monday, members from all of the groups got together for a special event to celebrate two upcoming holidays: St. Patrick’s Day and Easter!
For this event, I was assigned to Jamie’s blog, Our Eating Habits (this blog is no longer active at the time of this update) and was inspired to make her Irish Soda Farls (I have also made her S’mores Muffins for another event).
Irish Soda Farls
These Irish Soda Farls come together easily with only four ingredients and a few minutes prep for a delicious addition to breakfast. I enjoyed them warm with simply Irish butter and jam. They can also be a part of a larger Ulster Fry in Northern Ireland.
The word farl means fourths, as the dough is patted into a round and divided into 4 equal quadrants. They are generally made using a soda dough as seen here or with potatoes to make potato farls.
Immediately after bringing together and forming the farls, cook them in a lightly floured skillet or griddle until heated through and golden on both sides.
The Irish Soda Farls are best warm from the skillet. One reader mentioned splitting them in half, buttering, and pan-frying butter-side down to toast and develop a delicious layer of browned butter. Other readers recommend frying the split soda farls in bacon grease.
Looking for more Irish recipes?
Try my:
A Few Irish Soda Farl Tips
Shake the buttermilk before adding to the flour in case it has separated in the carton. If you do not have buttermilk available, you can add 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar/apple cider vinegar to 1 cup (240 milliliters) of milk. Stir to combine and set aside for 5-10 minutes before using.
Start with 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) buttermilk and add more as needed to bring the dough together. I usually need close to the full 1 cup (240 milliliters) of buttermilk.
Mix the ingredients only as needed to form the dough. Overworking or adding too much flour will cause a tough texture.
A cast iron skillet or griddle is best to cook the bread. Place over medium low heat and dust lightly with flour once it is heated and right before adding the soda farls.
Adjust the heat as needed between medium low and low. If the heat is too high, the edges will darken too quickly before the interior gets a chance to cook.
Test the center for doneness by inserting a skewer or toothpick through the thickest part of the bread. It should come out clean. I have seen some recipes turn the farls on their sides to seal and make all the edges golden.
Check out what everyone else made:
- Apple Cider Glazed Ham from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies from An Affair from the Heart
- Fully Loaded Scalloped Potatoes from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Green Onion Spread from Cheese Curd in Paradise
- Pot o’ Gold Cookies from Sew You Think You Can Cook
- A Special Stew for a Special Secret Recipe Club Reveal from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Spring Green Risotto from Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
- Reuben Burgers from The Spiffy Cookie
- Garlic Parmesan Potato Chips from Thyme for Cooking
- Bacon Pesto Spread from Our Good Life
- Colcannon Soup from Making Miracles
- Carrot Cake Mug Cake from I am a Honeybee
This recipe was originally posted in February 2016 and updated in February 2025.
Irish Soda Farls Recipe
Adapted from Our Eating Habits
Irish Soda Farls
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) buttermilk divided
- Butter and jam for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a well in the center and add 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) of the buttermilk. Gently mix into the flour to form a dough. If too crumbly, slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) buttermilk.
- On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeters) thick.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the circle into 4 equal quadrants (farls).
- Place a large skillet over medium low heat.
- Once heated, dust lightly with flour.
- Add the cut farls to the skillet, making sure they don't touch. If the pan is too small, cook them in 2 batches.
- Cook until the bottom is browned, about 4-6 minutes, then gently flip and cook until browned and heated through on the other side. Adjust the heat between medium low and low as needed. Test the center of the bread with a toothpick or skewer through the thickest part. It should be clean.
- Serve the Soda Farls warm from the skillet with butter and jam or as a part of an Ulster Fry.
Sid
I have to try those. And it just so happens I have some buttermilk in the freezer from the butter I made last week. They look so good. Great SRC choice.
emmajeanne16
I don’t really like soda bread but every year like clockwork I make one for St. Patrick’s Day. Happy Reveal Day!
oureatinghabits
MMMM… Great choice. We loved when I made these!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie
Mmm I bet those taste great warm with jam spread on them!
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
Very interesting. They look like biscuits but are pan fried. I am putting them on my to make list.
terristeffes
Those look delicious. The pan frying blew my mind! I am definitely putting them on my list.
katiezeller
Never heard of these…. How fun! I bake Irish Soda Bread at least once a week…. I have to try these
lk529
Oh these are fun!
Rosie A Fegan
Thank you for this recipe. I’m from Belfast, Ireland and made these at school, but have not made them since. Your recipe is spot on. However, here we cook them on a floured skillet, they then can be sliced horizontally and fried on the pan. Great with fried eggs, bacon and sausage!! We also serve with potato farls. A breakfast know as an Ulster fry
Tara
Thank you so much Rosie! Sounds incredible!
Jackie
Thanks so much for sharing, Tara! I’ve been trying to find a recipe for this after spending a month in Belfast, where almost every breakfast was topped with a beautifully pan fried soda farl. And thanks for vouching on the recipe, Rosie.
Tara
Hi Jackie! So happy to hear! Hopefully I get the chance to visit Belfast someday.
Helen Campbell
I’ve just made mine same recipe added bacon ‘ grated cheese to the mix. Delicious. Fried egg on top then
Tara
Hi Helen! That sounds incredible! Thanks for sharing
Deb
My family are from Belfast area. My great grandma and maternal grandmother made these often. I learned how too. I didn’t know they are called farls until my cousin, she lives in No Ireland, told me this year. Now the best way to eat these is to split, butter and grill or fry them in a pan. That browned butter is awesome.
Paul McNamara
Rosie, I am from Newtownards, which is about 8 miles or so from Belfast. I still remember the taste of them. Hot the griddle with lashings of butter.
Sarah
Can you make this without butter milk if don’t have any and can’t get any?
Tara
Hi Sarah! In a pinch, you can place 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup, then add enough milk to make 1 cup. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
Donna Mitchell
You can make buttermilk from milk and lemon juice or cider vinegar.
Patricia
Great, make soda bread but my mums recipe is too damp for farls, this was just right. Had to use Greek yogurt as can’t find buttermilk here. What do you change for potato farls ? Thanks.
colin
1 teaspoon of baking soda for 250g of flour is far to much …half a spoon is ample alsp if you dont have buttermilk add few squirts couple of tea spoons of lemon to regular milk allow to curdle for at least 10 minutes and add to plain flour (if you have soda bread flour no need for baking powder)
Maureen Lukas
I was born in Ireland and my dad passed on his recipe so I’ve made these for years. I cook top and bottom then stand the farls up on end to cook. My family has them for breakfast so we cut in half, heat bacon grease or oil and fry the inside til brown. They are delish with eggs and sausage or bacon. Like you said serve warm with butter and/or jam.
Stephanie
I followed this recipe exactly. However, although the farls did rise nicely and brown in the pan, they tasted *awful*. Acrid, salty, doughy and just not good eats. I have been to visit friends in Belfast and this is nothing like their soda farls. I do wish I could figure out where the acrid taste came from. Perhaps, as one commenter suggested, it is too much bicarbonate of soda?
Tara
So sorry they didn’t work for you, Stephanie. Did you use buttermilk or a buttermilk substitute?
marcy youker
I love soda bread, this are easier and no oven needed, thank you for sharing!
Patricia Rourke
Love this recipe! Nice and quick to mix up and put on a cast iron griddle . I add raisins or dates with a few nuts. Can’t beat them on a cold or rainy morning with a cup of I rish Cream coffee…real comfort food!
Ej
Here is the real secret Mske according to the recipient.. get ready .. now split them in half.. get your trust frying pan out and fry up some bacon and then put some thickly sliced tomatoes in the pan.. let it all cook down to your liking now fry up some bacon egg lightly over so its a little hokey .. now magic put the split feel in the pan fry it up till golden on both sides .. plate it all up and devour!!!
David
I have recently retired so I have a bit of time to try a few new things bread making is one so I tried these and they worked out great so a big thank you for a great but easy to do recipe
Tara
So happy to hear, David!