Irish Potato Bread (Irish Potato Cakes or Farls)
Irish potato bread most likely isn’t the typical type of potato bread you’re thinking of, it’s a delicious potato pancake that’s popular in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Delicious for breakfast or any other meal of the day!
If you’ve never had Scottish potato scones, or Irish potato bread, you are truly missing out! They’re essentially the same, but have different names in different locations. Even within Ireland, some call them potato bread and others call them potato cakes or farls.
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Regardless of what they are called, this iconic Irish food is so incredibly tasty, especially when fried in the same pan where your bacon was just fried! Oh yes, it’s the thing to do!
Off topic: during March, you hear all about soda bread, but soda scones are even better!
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Can I use Leftover Mashed Potatoes to Make Irish Potato Farls?
Yes, leftover mashed potatoes are great for making Irish potato bread! This is probably how this recipe originated, to be honest. Although there’s normally milk in mashed potatoes, it doesn’t matter, you can just add more flour to get a non-sticky consistency.
In case you’re looking for a different Irish potato recipe, it may be Irish boxty you’re looking for? They are different as they contain raw and mashed potatoes. I have a delicious Irish boxty recipe, too! Irish food is definitely blessed with lots of potatoes, and I love it!
If you love potatoes, you’re going to adore Irish potato bread! I hope you give them a try soon!
Irish Potato Bread (Potato Pancakes or Farls)
adapted from Scottish potato scones serves
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- Russet potatoes
- all purpose flour
- butter
- sea salt
Special equipment: a potato ricer
Directions
If you’re not using leftover mashed potatoes, peel the boiled potatoes.
Use a potato ricer to rice the potatoes, if you have one. If not, just mash them, but your potato bread will come out better if you use a ricer.
Next, add the butter and salt. Taste the potatoes at this point, add more salt if needed.
Then, very lightly mix in the sifted flour.
It will come together into a dough very quickly and easily. Turn out onto a lightly floured area.
Gently fold over until smooth. Divide into two equal portions and form each into a ball. Roll one ball out to about 1/3″ thick, then cut into quarters with a large knife or cake lifter. Repeat with the second measure of dough.
Heat a pan or griddle to medium to medium high. When hot, begin cooking the Irish potato bread (do not use oil or butter.) When brown on both sides, place on a clean tea towel and cover.
These are fully cooked and may be eaten as is, but traditionally, they are fried in the same pan as the bacon was fried in. Decadently delicious is all I can say! How can you not love Irish food?
Add bacon, eggs, toast and more for a full Irish breakfast! (If you add beans, it’s not an authentic Irish fry-up, thanks to Martin Devlin for kindly informing me.)
Irish Potato Bread (Irish Potato Cakes or Farls)
Special Equipment
- 1 potato ricer (preferably)
Ingredients
- 4 large Russet potatoes (boiled in salted water-preferably with the skin still on, should weigh 1 lb/455 grams after cooking)
- 2 ½ oz flour (sifted)
- 1 oz butter (softened, I use Kerrygold)
- ½ tsp Kosher salt (or sea salt)
Instructions
- If not using leftover mashed potatoes, peel the boiled potatoes.
- Use a potato ricer to rice the potatoes, if you have one. If not, just mash them, but your potato bread will come out better if you use a ricer.
- Next, add the butter and salt. Taste the potatoes at this point, add more salt if needed. Then, very lightly mix in the sifted flour. It will come together into a dough very quickly and easily.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured area gently fold over until smooth. Divide into two equal portions and form each into a ball. Roll one ball out to about 1/3″ thick, then cut into quarters with a large knife or cake lifter. Repeat with the second measure of dough.
- Heat a pan or griddle to medium to medium high. When hot, begin cooking the Irish potato bread (do not use oil or butter.) When brown on both sides, place on a clean tea towel and cover.
- These are fully cooked and may be eaten as is, but traditionally, they are fried in the same pan as the bacon was fried in. Decadently delicious is all I can say!
Notes
- Use quality ingredients for the best outcome.
Nutrition
PIN FOR LATER!
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Adding beans is not authentic? Ah here! Don’t think I’ve ever had a fry without beans in my life. I’m Irish and I authenticate beans. 😉
Oh goodness, that’s interesting!
Thank you for the mention , it was a real surprise
Thank YOU, Martin! I want as many of my recipes to be as authentic and accurate as possible. You helped me make that happen on this recipe, and you were kind in how you communicated it. So many commenters are horribly rude, so I appreciate your message! :)
After they are cooked, Can you fry them in butter ?
My sister made these for me as I am in a nursing home and, having seen your website, was craving potato bread. She used sprouted buckwheat flour (sadly now discontinued) because I am gluten sensitive. I got her a potato ricer (IKEA is the cheapest and seems good). She followed the recipe exactly and the result was delicious, just as I remember my mum making for us in Northern Ireland. We were a big family so we had a big beast of a ricer, and it was my dad’s job to mash for potato bread (fadge) and for champ (creamed potatoes with spring onions (scallions). I love this recipe because it is precise; a lot of recipes say add flour until you get the right consistency. That’s a bit scary for a beginner. I also love the pictures. They make me want to jump out of bed and bake!
Waoo, I think Liz is a false name. Why, well my sister was in a nursing home in 2022, and I made potato bread (fadge) for her, I used buckwheat flower and she loved it. She bought me a potato ricer for the job. I enjoyed baking for her. Oh by the way I’m from a big family in Northern Ireland and it was my dads job to mash the cooked potatoes through the ricer.
I couldn’t believe it when I read the message from ‘Liz’ it made me smile but also made me cry because my sister (Amy) died in Oct 2022. Liz, if you are real it was lovely reading your message. Margaret
Oh my goodness, that’s unbelievable, Margaret! I hope Liz sees this, too! LOVELY! I’m so sorry about your sister Amy, though. Deepest condolences to you. xx