Irish Soda Bread (with Irish-Style Flour)
This Irish American soda bread is a hybrid between a brown bread and American soda bread. Made with Irish-style wholemeal flour and bread flour for a slightly crumbly, complex, but not overly sweet taste. This soda bread can be made by substituting raisins. Perfect with butter and tea!
Servings 9 in" round loaf
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Irish Style Flour (Odlums Wholemeal Coarse or King Arthur) (276g)
- 1 1/4 cups Unbleached Bread Flour + a little extra for your counter (150g)
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar (26g)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2/3 cup Currants (or sub 2/3 cup raisins) (96g)
- 4 tbsp Unsalted butter, cold & cut into pieces (57g)
- 1 1/3 cups Buttermilk (302g)
- 1 Large Egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment.
- (If you are making buttermilk, add 1 tbsp + 1 tsp white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup and then add the milk and let it sit)*
- In a mixing bowl, add both flours, sugar, baking soda, salt, and currants. Gently whisk to combine.
- Add the butter chunks to the mixing bowl and using your hands or a pastry fork, work in the butter until no large pieces are left.
- In a separate bowl whisk the buttermilk and egg.
- Slowly pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix. The dough will be sticky and slightly wet. If you live in a humid environment, hold back 2 tbsp of buttermilk. If the dough is crumbly add 1 tbsp in at a time and mix.
- Turn the dough onto a floured counter and knead a few times. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand. The flattened dough should be 1" to 1 1/2" thick.
- Using a knife, cut a cross over the dome of the dough.
- Bake the bread for 45-55 minutes until golden brown. I suggest checking at 45 minutes with a toothpick. If it doesn't come out clean, bake for 5-10 more minutes depending on your oven.
- This soda bread can be stored at room temperature for 3 days, well wrapped.
Notes
- Buttermilk can be made by adding 1tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice into a cup and then filling the rest of the cup with milk and letting it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
- Wholemeal flour can be substituted for whole wheat flour but reduce the amount of whole wheat flour to 2 1/4 cups.
- Bread flour can be substituted for all-purpose flour with equal measurements (the texture will be different)
- Texture: This bread is a denser, crumbly bread unlike American soda bread from grocery stores which is more cake like
- Sugar: You can omit the sugar and just enjoy the sweetness from the dried currants
- Nutritional values are calculated for the entire 9in round loaf