Irish Brown Bread: A Traditional Favorite
My mother’s traditional recipe for Irish brown bread that I grew up eating. This simple soda bread recipe is made with buttermilk for the authentic Irish taste of home.
Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread
I have lived in the United States for over 13 years now – and love almost everything about being here… EXCEPT the bread! I have a wheat intolerance to begin with (no white bread for me!) but the amount of preservatives and sweeteners and other junk that is added to bread over here completely puts my body over the edge.
I am a breadivore (yes, I just coined that term!). I would eat bread for every meal if I could, so cutting it out of my diet was a no-no.
Instead, I turned to the recipe for Irish brown soda bread that my mom has baked since I was a little girl. It’s simple, requires few ingredients and you can whip it together in just a few minutes.
It’s also really healthy! Oh, and because it’s yeast-free, it tends to be better for keeping my tummy flat too!
Don’t Skip This Ingredient When Making Irish Brown Bread…
For an authentic Irish brown bread, you cannot skip the buttermilk. It adds a certain richness to the flavor, and the texture won’t be as good without it. If you’re really stuck, you can use plain yogurt or sour cream instead…or even one of these other buttermilk replacements.
In Ireland, my favorite way to eat this bread is with a warm bowl of homemade vegetable soup. Slathered in butter, then dunked into the soup, the bread absorbs all the flavors. I also enjoy it with butter and jam and I’m not picky about whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or a snack! It seems that butter and jam is go-to combo, since I also eat my Irish Scones and Irish Soda Bread that way, too!
This Irish brown bread is delicious served warm so that the butter soaks right in but it’s equally good cold. The bread will keep for several days as long as it’s stored in an airtight container or covered with foil, but don’t refrigerate it as it will dry the bread out.
Irish Brown Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups stoneground whole wheat flour I use Bob's Red Mill brand
- 1 ¾ cup all Purpose Flour
- 3 tablespoons wheat germ toasted – see recipe instructions for how to toast
- 3 tablespoons wheat germ toasted
- 2 tablespoons rolled oats plus more to sprinkle on top
- 1 teaspoon baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 ½ – 2 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
- Toast the wheat germ and wheat bran by scattering onto a baking sheet and place into oven (while it's preheating) for about 3 minutes, stirring once or twice, and keeping a close eye so that it doesn't burn. Remove from the oven immediately and allow to cool on a plate before using.
- In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, toasted wheat germ and wheat bran, rolled oats, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the cubes of butter and use your fingers to rub it into the mixture, until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
- Make a well in the middle and add about ⅔ of the buttermilk. Stir to combine. Slowly add the remainder of the buttermilk, mixing well with a wooden spoon until a soft, barely sticky dough is formed. Depending on your flour, you'll need anywhere from 1½ to 2 cups of buttermilk.
- Remove the dough from the work surface and roughly shape into a loaf, then place into the loaf pan.
- Scatter some oats on top and gently press them down into the dough.
- Bake at 400° F for 35-40 minutes. If the top starts to brown before the load is cooked, place some aluminum foil lightly over the top to allow it to cook longer, without the top burning.You'll know it's cooked when you tap the bottom of the bread and it sounds hollow.
- Store in an airtight container or wrapped in foil.
