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There’s something special about Irish brown soda bread. Ask anyone who has been to the Emerald Isle and they will tell you: bread is so It’s different than what we’re used to at home. It’s soft, dense, and a little crumbly—a hearty, delicious addition to every meal. Add a dollop of butter and jam to the slices and you’ve got a snack fit for a king. Enjoy with chowder or soup, or make a sandwich with eggs or smoked salmon. You really can’t go wrong! This bread enhances everything it touches and is so ubiquitous across the country that when you return to the United States, its absence is quite noticeable.
Good news? You don’t have to be without! Authentic Irish brown soda bread is so easy to make. At Ireland’s Dromoland Castle, a five-star luxury hotel with a superb parkland golf course in Co. Clare, brown bread is served with nearly every entrée, and executive chef David McCann shares his thoughts on what makes Irish soda bread so special.
“Soda bread is more than just food, it’s tied to Irish identity and hospitality,” McCann said. “Many Irish households still bake it regularly and serve it with soups and stews, or simply with butter and jam. Irish flour is traditionally made from soft wheat, which doesn’t work well with yeast, but is great for soda-raised breads.”
Bread also has a historical component.
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“Soda bread became popular in Ireland in the early 1800s, when baking soda was first introduced as a cheap and reliable leavening agent,” McCann said. “Poorer rural households in Ireland often lacked ovens and expensive ingredients such as yeast or refined flour. Soda bread can be made with basic ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk – and then baked on a griddle or in a Dutch oven on a griddle (a cast iron pan over a fire).”
While sourdough bread has been getting a lot of attention in the U.S. during the pandemic, Irish soda bread is another staple that’s easy to make at home. Some of McCann’s best-practice tips include adding a little sunflower oil to retain moisture and being careful not to over-knead the dough.
“In the Dromoland recipe, we say, ‘No kneading required!'” McCann said. “We manipulate the dough very little, get it into a liquid state, then bake it in lined tins. Just follow the recipe and make sure the mixture is moist. You also have to preheat the oven, which is very important.”
There is only one thing to remember: the highest score.
“My mother once told me that the traditional crosscut at the top is not just for aesthetics,” McCann said. “It helps the bread bake evenly, and folklore says it’s meant to ‘release the fairies.'”
Sounds like the best reason to add cuts! Ready to bake yourself some bread? McCann shares the recipe for Dromoland below. If you’re looking for the perfect side dish, you can check out his delicious seafood chowder recipe here.
Brown bread at Dromoland Castle
Makes 2 pounds of bread
raw material
1.5 cups whole wheat flour 1/3 cup plain flour 1 tablespoon bran 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon bread soda pinch of salt 1/6 cup sunflower oil 1 egg 1.5 cups buttermilk
method:
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the oil, buttermilk and eggs, mixing them together.
Pour into greased loaf tin.
Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Place on a rack and allow to cool.
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