Irish brown soda bread is actually a quite healthy bread when made authentically. It is a good source of whole grains as well as fiber and some protein.
Although the original recipe for Irish soda bread includes just 4 ingredients (flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt), more recently Irish cooks have added a bit more to the bread, adding flavor and fiber and making it even healthier.
One such Irish home cook is my friend Maura Tynan, who resides in County Kilkenny, Ireland, and who graciously shared with me her family recipe for brown soda bread. I’ve made it many times myself, and it is delicious, especially when served warm, with a bit of Irish grass-fed butter or cheese.
I’m delighted to report that Maura has generously given me permission to share her recipe with you! See below–I’ve added my own instructions for cooking temperatures and times, based on my geographic location in Middle Tennessee, USA, at an altitude of 650 feet above sea level.
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Ingredients
Notes on the ingredients: High-quality ingredients always make a difference in baked goods like this, but in particular, it’s important to use the highest-quality whole-wheat flour you can find. Maura and I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 100% Stone Ground Organic Whole Wheat Flour.
I also use Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Germ and Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran for this recipe.
— 9 oz. (1 cup + 2 tbsp) whole-wheat flour
— 6 oz. (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
— 2 tbsp wheat bran
— 1 tbsp wheat germ
— 1 tsp baking soda
— 1 tsp salt
— 1 – 2 tsp sugar (optional)
— 2 eggs
— 3/4 pint (1.5 cups) buttermilk (I recommend using full-fat, gourmet buttermilk)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine all dry ingredients in one large bowl. Stir eggs and buttermilk together in another bowl. Add egg-buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients, and stir everything together until the consistency resembles a very thick porridge. Add more buttermilk if needed to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
Turn out the porridge-like dough onto a baking sheet and shape into a round. For a traditional appearance, use a sharp knife to etch (slash) a cross in the top of the dough round.
(You can also pour the dough into a square baking pan or standard bread loaf pan, depending upon your preference for its final appearance.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 – 200 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You can also tap on the bottom of the round loaf to check for doneness: it should have a hollow sound when it is fully cooked.
For a slightly softer crust, wrap the baked bread in a tea towel as soon as you take it out of the oven.
Enjoy!
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