Whole-Wheat Irish Soda Bread

From EatingWell: April/May 2005, The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook (2005) — Subscribe Now!

Soda breads are hearty Irish staples - wholemeal flour with large flakes of bran and wheat germ, or white flour or a mixture leavened with baking soda and moistened with buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, which is an alkali, creating bubbles of carbon dioxide which rise the bread. Soda breads have the heft of a yeast bread but are made in minutes and the dough can be shaped into scones or a round loaf, depending on the occasion. Originally it would have been baked in a bastible (pot oven) over the open fire.

READER'S COMMENT:

"Delicious!! :-) As another reader has posted here, I only baked the bread for 35 minutes total (15 min. at 450 degrees F., 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.) and it came out great. I think that my oven does tend to bake things quickly, though...

Comments

Comment	Posted
Delicious!! :-) As another reader has posted here, I only baked the bread for 35 minutes total (15 min. at 450 degrees F., 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.) and it came out great. I think that my oven does tend to bake things quickly, though. I did the "toothpick test" at 35 min. and the bread was ready. Liz Davenport, Upland, CA	7 weeks 5 days ago
this bread is great! Followed directions exactly, turned out great. jack's mama, cincinnati, oh	7 weeks 5 days ago
Good texture and taste. A hearty bread that's easy to make. The ingredient measurements were perfect! Jo-Anne K., New York City, NY	7 weeks 5 days ago
I made this along with the Irish Lamb Stew. Both came out great for our St. Patrick's Day potluck. I will make these again next year! Andrea, Webster, TX	7 weeks 5 days ago
Great recipe! I followed it exactly as printed and was very pleased with the result. It's the easiest bread I ever made! Sue, Bellefonte, PA	7 weeks 5 days ago
In regard to the recipe shown: I use same amount of flour, but use 1/2 t. salt, 1 1/2 t. bak soda, 1 t. bak powder, 1/4 c. sugar, 1 T caraway, 1 c. raisins. Knead lightly on floured surface, make round loaf and put in greased wrought iron pan making deep cross in it. Brush w/ buttermilk and i put green sugar in the cross for effect. Bake 375 45-50 min JB, Garrison, MT	7 weeks 5 days ago
This recipes looks just about right for genuine Irish Brown Bread (not soda bread). There is a difference between brown bread and soda bread. Brown bread is a healthy dense bread, eaten with meals - most prominently breakfast. It is not supposed to have "flavour". Soda bread is usually made with white flour and when raisins are added, is eaten as a "sweet" or a dessert. Brown broad can have egg added to the mixture for added protein, and if used, less milk will be needed. Maggie, Athlone, IR	7 weeks 5 days ago
The recipe I use calls for 1 cup currants, 2 tsps. caraway seeds, and 2 tsps. orange rind, and 1/4 cup Irish whiskey. It is delicious. This one looks pretty bland. amurphygirl, Sacramento, CA	7 weeks 5 days ago
While not historically accurate, "traditionally," my Irish American family has always added raisins or currents or some other dried fruit to the batter. This tends to add some more flavor, and makes it more scone-like. Anonymous, Boston, MA	7 weeks 5 days ago
loved it! I thought it had all the components of Irish Soda Bread I've had in restaurants (this was my first venture actually making it myself): texture, mouth feel, flavor. It was great--and gave no indication that it was a healthier version of the original. However, I did not use all of the liquid as the dough was plenty moist after 1 3/4 cup buttermilk and only baked it for 35 minutes, not the full 50, even after reducing the heat. Abbie, Peoria Heights, IL	7 weeks 5 days ago