Irish Brown Soda Bread with whole wheat pastry flour, wheat germ, old-fashioned oats and brown sugar! This hearty and flavorful bread is fabulous right out of the oven with butter!
Quick bread recipes are best to make when you want homemade bread without any wait time. Whisk the ingredients together and bake it!
Traditional soda bread is a simple combination of flour, baking soda, sour milk and salt. Thank goodness we can purchase buttermilk instead of using expired milk like the Irish farmers did back in the day. The sour milk and the baking soda works their magic together giving the bread a little lift!
You may be more familiar with sweet ingredients added to Irish soda bread like raisins or currents. Cooks just can’t help adding their own special touch!
This Irish Brown Soda Bread recipe is similar to the traditional recipe except you’ll find whole grains, a little butter and sugar. If you haven’t started baking with whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour do give it a try! It’s much milder in flavor than the strong flavors of regular wheat with all the same healthy benefits! The brown sugar in this recipe does a nice job of toning down the nutty flavors from the wheat germ and flour that sometimes can taste harsh and woody.
You can use all whole wheat flour instead of part all-purpose in this recipe like I did, but if you aren’t used to eating all wheat foods, then transition slowly and use half and half. You’ll be surprised that the wheat haters won’t notice you are baking with some healthier ingredients!
This Brown Soda Bread has a hearty crunch on the outside with a tender center and if you aren’t careful you can easily eat the entire loaf in one sitting! Enjoy with butter and jam with a hot cup of coffee or serve with a warm bowl of soup. Perhaps you’ll want to serve it with this Corned Beef Cabbage Slow Cooked dish, Corned Beef and Cabbage Chowder or this stew that I’ll be sharing later this week!
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup wheat germ
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats, plus one tablespoon to top dough
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 cups buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a iron skillet and set aside.
- Whisk together flours, wheat germ, oats, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add in butter and mix into flour mixture with a fork until the pieces are broken down. Stir in buttermilk combining all ingredients into a sticky dough. Form into a round circle and place on prepared skillet. Slice an X onto the top of the dough. Sprinkle one tablespoon of the oats over the dough. Bake for 40 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Cool before slicing.
Recipe inspired by Brown Soda Bread, Epicurious.
I love all the healthy ingredients you have put in your brown soda bread. I will make this one for sure.
There’s nothing like homemade bread, and it looks amazing with that stew!
I love making soda bread, it’s so fast for something so good!
Soda bread is such a wonderful bread and about the only one I will dare take a crack at, never tried it with wholemeal flour though, gotta give it a try it looks super.
I only use whole wheat now days. 🙂 This bread looks delicious. I don’t eat a lot of bread because of eating low carb, but when I do eat it, I want it to have substance and this looks perfect! I may have to set this one aside to try the next time we have bread!
I’ve been wanting to make soda bread with whole wheat flour and this looks like the perfect recipe! Thanks for sharing!
LOVE this healthier take on a classic Irish recipe! Looks so hearty too. 🙂
I love Irish soda bread and I am loving that you’ve made it a little healthier! Great recipe, cant wait to give it a try!
This looks so good! I would love to have this for breakfast with a drizzle of honey and a big smear of butter! Yum!
Wow Sandra! this bread sounds delicious! I love the healthier ingredients that you snuck in there too.
This bread looks so good and I love all of the whole grains you used in it!
This looks delicious…home baked bread is the best! I bet it smells amazing when it’s baking!
Nothing better than the smell of homemade baked bread. This looks divine!