The best part about this Irish Brown Bread recipe is that you don't need to wait for it to rise thanks to baking soda and there's also virtually no kneading of the dough either to really prove that some breads just need a few ingredients to let the oven do the hard work.
This bread is probably the best thing you want to grab if you happen to have a glorious bowl of soup in front of you and from the first mouthful you'll be grabbing for another slice before you can think about it.
Table of Contents
When visiting Dublin over the New Year holidays the rain came down so heavy that anytime we left an establishment we had to run to our next location, but we got so drenched that half way to our next plans we ended up in a pub needing to dry off and warm up. Soon enough we were eating some soup and it was served with slices of this brown bread. Best smeared with butter to lap up the soup which will warm anyone right up!
Irish Brown Bread History
The history of this Irish Brown bread is that it was handed out during the famine in Ireland because wholemeal or rather as it was known, brown meal was considered as a less desirable product, making it significantly cheaper to feed more people. However, you can see why it has stayed an integral part of their food down to this day when you need something to warm you up through all the dreary rain they get.
Ingredients and substitutions for Irish Brown Bread
- Flour: Plain or all purpose flour works because biscuits, though being more a bread type dish, aren’t bread. We don’t want a firm crust or overly activated gluten which is easier to control with a plain flour that has less protein in it.
- Baking soda: This helps our bread rise avoiding a heavy dense crumb and helps to give result in that golden color.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is acidic which reacts with the baking powder and activates the baking soda in the dough as well giving our bread moisture to create a soft crumb. It's best not to create your own buttermilk substitute here to ensure you get the best bread.
- Butter: Unsalted butter was used, however, you can replace in equal measure with salted. Ensure it is well chilled.
- Egg: The egg binds and adds structure to our cornbread resulting in that soft interior.
See recipe card for quantities.
What people are saying about this!
'Just made this bread eating it with some good Irish butter and Irish cheese, with a cup tea, its lovely many thanks'
'Well done , a nice brown bread , and best wishes from DUBLIN.'
'Just had to let you know your recipe was a smashing success, everyone loved and devoured the 2 loaves I made tonight. Thank you very much.'
How to make Irish Brown Bread:
Sift and stir: Sift the plain flour and baking soda and stir in the wholemeal flour and salt.
1
Cut or rub: Cut or rub in the butter until it resemble course breadcrumbs.
Wet ingredients: Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Dough it: Add wet ingredients to the dry and combine until a dough forms.
2
Tin time: Spoon into the loaf tin and smooth out the top.
Mark a line: Mark a line in the center firmly for the bread to rise evenly during the baking process.
3
Bake: Place in the oven and bake until golden.
Cool and slice: Allow to cool fully before slicing.
Serve it up: Have a bowl of hot soup ready to dunk pieces into.
FAQ's for the best Irish Brown Bread
Yes there is and this makes a big difference when baking breadlike baking - think no yeast bread or cinnamon rolls etc. Plain flour in the US has the same amount of protein in it as bread flour in the UK, which means you can absolutely substitute in bread flour for the plain if you live in the UK. The gram weight for bread flour is 188 grams bread flour for this recipe.
More bread recipes you'll enjoy
Irish Brown Bread
Ingredients
- 298 grams / 2 ⅓ cups wholemeal flour
- 222 grams / 1 ⅓ cups + 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 5 grams / 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 25 grams / 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 414 milliliters / 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
- 55 grams / 1 large egg room temperature
- 21 grams / 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200ºC/400F and greaseproof a bread tin.
- Sift the flour and baking soda in a bowl. Add the salt and wholemeal flour and stir to combine.
- Add in the butter and cut or rub into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, honey and egg and until well combined.
- Make a well in the flour and add the buttermilk mixture, folding until a dough is formed.
- Spoon into the bread tin and smooth out.
- Slice a line into the center of the loaf and place in the oven to bake until golden on top, approximately 45 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Slice and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is acidic which reacts with the baking powder and activates the baking soda in the dough as well giving our bread moisture to create a soft crumb. It's best not to create your own buttermilk substitute here to ensure you get the best bread.
- Loaf tin: A traditional loaf pan is ideal for this recipe, with the tin used here fitting 1 kilo or 2 pounds.
Nutrition
Subscribe to receive a free weekly newsletter using seasonal produce as well as exclusive content!
Made it and loved it?
If you have made this recipe, it would mean so much to leave a review below to help more people find this.
Cameron
I made this to have with some pumpkin soup...one word - DELICIOUS
Sylvie
I'm so glad you love this as much as I do Cameron!