Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
I’ve never actually had Irish soda bread. Come to think of it, though I’m half Irish I’ve never had any Irish food. There’s a reason for this; it’s not very good. If you are Irish and an adept cook, then please know I’m speaking BIG TIME in general. I mean, do you know that many restaurants that specialize in Irish fare?
Anyways, I stumbled across this recipe and was surprised to find that I had all the ingredients on hand and that it looked crazy easy. The end result is something surprising; it’s almost like a whole grain biscuit. There is just a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar and the buttered top is craggy and salty. This would be fantastic eaten with soup; just a little butter on top. I ate it the next morning spread with strawberry jelly and it was awesome.
Not only does this come together quickly and taste great, it’s legitimately good for you! It’s half whole wheat flour, which is what most products are that are labeled “whole wheat”. A product sold in the store is only really whole wheat if the word “whole” is in the first three words of the ingredients list. Ingredients are listed in order of amount, so that means the product is mostly whole wheat or whole grain. If you see “enriched wheat flour”, they’re talking about the processed white flour. More than just the wheat, this bread has a half cup of wheat germ in it (the healthiest part of whole wheat), no eggs, lowfat milk, and only two tablespoons of butter! Those are incredible stats. Make this with some soup, you’ll be happy you did.
Also, if you don’t have cake flour but want to make this now, just measure out a half cup of white flour and remove 1 tbsp.
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
America’s Test Kitchen
Serves 8-16, depending on how you cut it
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour (white flour)
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. toasted wheat germ (it’s almost always sold toasted)
1/2 c. cake flour (see note above)
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, softened, divided
1 1/2 c. buttermilk *
*Or make clabbered milk: In a liquid measuring cup, put 1 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar or lemon/lime juice. Pour lowfat milk to the 1 1/2 c. mark and stir. Let sit for about fifteen minutes before using.
1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Whisk flours, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a large mixing bowl until combined.
3. Work TWO TABLESPOONS of the softened butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You want to do this with your fingertips; just pinch butter between your fingers in the dry ingredients until the larger clumps are broken up.
4. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until dough begins to come together.
5. Turn out onto floured work surface and knead/turn the dough until dough becomes cohesive but still lumpy (just a few turns… DO NOT make dough smooth, it will toughen the texture of the bread).
6. Pat the dough into a round ball (about 6-8 inches wide, and 2-3 inches high).
7. Place dough on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.
8. Score the dough (which means to cut lines into it.. usually done with meat to allow the fat to seep into meat, making it more flavorful) by making a large cross on the top (5 inches long, about 3/4 of an inch deep).
9. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until bread is deep brown.
10. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and brush over the surface of the dough.
11. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before cutting. This direction actually helps with the dough texture, so don’t ignore it.
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
America’s Test Kitchen
Serves 8-16, depending on how you cut it
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour (white flour)
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. toasted wheat germ (it’s almost always sold toasted)
1/2 c. cake flour
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, softened, divided
1 1/2 c. buttermilk *
*Or make clabbered milk: In a liquid measuring cup, put 1 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar or lemon/lime juice. Pour lowfat milk to the 1 1/2 c. mark and stir. Let sit for about fifteen minutes before using.
1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Whisk flours, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a large mixing bowl until combined.
3. Work TWO TABLESPOONS of the softened butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You want to do this with your fingertips; just pinch butter between your fingers in the dry ingredients until the larger clumps are broken up.
4. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until dough begins to come together.
5. Turn out onto floured work surface and knead/turn the dough until dough becomes cohesive but still lumpy (just a few turns… DO NOT make dough smooth, it will toughen the texture of the bread).
6. Pat the dough into a round ball (about 6-8 inches wide, and 2-3 inches high).
7. Place dough on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.
8. Score the dough (which means to cut lines into it.. usually done with meat to allow the fat to seep into meat, making it more flavorful) by making a large cross on the top (5 inches long, about 3/4 of an inch deep).
9. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until bread is deep brown.
10. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and brush over the surface of the dough.
11. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before cutting. This direction actually helps with the dough texture, so don’t ignore it.
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