Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
If you've got whole-wheat flour, plain white flour and bicarbonate of soda, you're most of the way to this vegetarian: about 60 minutes of cooking across 7 steps. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and whisk. At easy difficulty across 7 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 220 C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or dust it lightly with flour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat flour, white flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt until evenly combined.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, then stir quickly with a fork or your hand just until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms; do not overwork it or the bread will turn tough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape it into a round loaf about 18 cm across, handling it as little as possible.
- Place the loaf on the prepared sheet, cut a deep cross into the top with a sharp knife to help it bake through, and scatter the rolled oats over the surface.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 200 C and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes until the loaf is well risen, golden brown, and sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing so the crumb can set; the bread is best eaten the day it is made.
You'll use: Oven · Whisk · Baking sheet
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Tips & common questions
How long does Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 6 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Soda bread.jpg by Heather "Moria", CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.