Easy Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

This whole wheat Irish soda bread is simple, hearty, and perfect for dunking into stew. It’s a traditional loaf made from just a few basic ingredients. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make, and it’s ready in just under an hour!

Whole wheat Irish soda bread is one of the only breads we’re brave enough to make because it’s pretty much foolproof. There’s no waiting for it to rise, no yeast to complicate things, and it always turns out great.

It’s made from a few basic ingredients like whole wheat flour, baking soda, sea salt, butter, and buttermilk. Form the ingredients into a dough, score it with an ‘X’, and let it bake until it’s golden.

It’s a simple, satisfying, and hearty loaf that pairs perfectly with soups and stews. Dip it or dunk it into beef stews or vegetable soups with a generous smear of our homemade butter.

Unlike store-bought bread that’s full of preservatives, this loaf does need to be eaten the day of. You can still enjoy it the next day, but it definitely needs to be warmed up in the oven first (trust us!).

Irish soda bread variations

Whole wheat Irish soda bread is a flexible basic recipe with many tasty variations. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Make it sweet. Mix in a few handfuls of sultana raisins or dried currants, along with a ¼ cup of sugar to the dry ingredients.
• Make it a seedy loaf by adding a ¼ cup of caraway seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, or poppy seeds (or a mix).
• Make it savory, like this no yeast bread with herbs and cheese.

What to serve with whole wheat Irish soda bread

We can imagine generations of Irish people making this bread for their families and tucking it into a giant pot of soup or stew. That’s also how we like to enjoy it, on cool weather days, when you can sit by the fireplace and enjoy the smell of fresh bread baking.

Hearty stews that taste especially great with Irish soda bread

• Chocolate Guinness Crock Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Paleo Beef Stew
• Meaty Mushroom Sausage Chili

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Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 55 minutes mins

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This whole wheat Irish soda bread is simple, hearty, and perfect for dunking into stew. It's a traditional loaf made from just a few basic ingredients. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to make, and it's ready in just 55 minutes!

1

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups whole wheat flour
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cold butter
• ▢ 2 cups buttermilk (or 2 cups milk mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar)
• ▢ 1 pinch flaky sea salt

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. place a piece of parchment paper into an ovenproof pot, letting the edges hang over the side of the pot. See notes.
  
• In a large bowl, whisk the whole wheat flour, baking soda, and sea salt.
  4 cups whole wheat flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon sea salt
  
• Add the butter and use your fingers to mix it into the flour by rubbing the pieces of butter into the flour until the butter pieces are very fine. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula and then use your hands to bring the dough together. It will feel sticky and very heavy.
  2 tablespoons cold butter, 2 cups buttermilk
  
• Make a ball out of the dough and then press the top down slightly. Using a knife, score the top with an X 1" deep then place the dough into the pot. Top with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt and put the lid on the pot.
  1 pinch flaky sea salt
  
• Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom of it. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the internal temperature should be 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

  Let the soda bread cool for 10 minutes before slicing and slathering it in butter and digging in. This bread is best eaten the same day it is made. Warm it in the oven if you eat it a day or two later.
  

Notes

We used to make this recipe in a cast iron pan. While that method works, we’ve found that baking it in a covered pot works even better. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice (⅛ of the loaf), Calories: 271kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 46g (15%), Protein: 10g (20%), Fat: 7g (11%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 14mg (5%), Sodium: 585mg (25%), Potassium: 300mg (9%), Fiber: 6g (25%), Sugar: 3g (3%), Vitamin A: 192IU (4%), Calcium: 90mg (9%), Iron: 2mg (11%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.