Brown Soda Bread Recipes

TRADITIONAL BROWN SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F). Mix the flour, bread soda and salt together in a bowl. Combine the egg with the buttermilk and honey then mix into the flour. Add a little more buttermilk if the mixture is dry - it should be a soft dough. Pour the dough into a lightly oiled loaf tin. Sprinkle the sesame seeds or porridge oats over the top of the loaf if using. Bake for 45-50 minutes. To know when it is cooked simply tap the bottom of the loaf - it will sound hollow when it is fully cooked. Remove from the tin and wrap in a clean tea towel while cooling. This will keep the crust soft.

BROWN SODA BREAD WITH OATS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch bread pan.
• In a large bowl, mix together flours, steel-cut oats, rolled oats, brown sugar, salt and sifted baking soda. Mix well with your hands.
• Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Pour in buttermilk. Working from the center of the bowl in concentric clockwise circles, with fingers outstretched, stir buttermilk into flour mixture. (You can use a rubber spatula instead if you don't like getting dough on your hands.) This should take about a half a minute at most. Dough will be quite moist. Use a rubber spatula to scrape into bread pan and smooth out the dough to fill pan evenly ( the pan will be filled only about halfway.)
• Place in the oven and bake 40 minutes, until dark brown and a tester inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

IRISH BROWN SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda. Use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour mixture.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg and buttermilk together. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Dough should be soft but not sticky; add a bit more all-purpose flour if necessary.
• Put dough on a lightly floured board and knead together gently, just enough to form a round loaf. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cut a deep cross on top.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then turn heat to 400 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more, until nicely browned. To tell whether it's done, thump the bottom of the loaf with your fingertips; it should sound hollow. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing, if possible.

IRISH BROWN SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease two baking sheets.
• In a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, white flour, rolled oats, baking soda and salt. Gently mix in the buttermilk until a soft dough is formed. Knead very lightly. Divide dough into 4 pieces; form into rounded flat loaves. Mark each loaf with an 'X' and place on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes.

BROWN SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl; mix well. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal. Stir in enough buttermilk to form soft dough. Transfer dough to prepared loaf pan. Bake until bread is dark brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack. Turn right side up and cool on rack.

BROWN SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Grease and flour a Pullman or standard loaf pan.
• Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Melt butter in large measuring cup. Add vegetable oil, molasses, and buttermilk to cup.
• Pour liquids into dry ingredients, stir quickly to combine. Do not over mix. Transfer dough to prepared loaf pan, spread into corners and smooth top.
• Bake until bread is dark brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack to cool. Cool at least 1 hour before slicing.

BROWN IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 t. salt.
• Cut in butter.
• Combine 1 egg and buttermilk and add to flour mixture; stir till just moistened.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead gently for 12 strokes.
• On a greased baking sheet, shape dough into a 6-in. round loaf.
• Cut a 4-in. cross, 1/4-in. deep, on the top.
• Brush with one beaten egg.
• Bake for 35 minute in a 375 degree oven.
• Cool on rack.

BROWN SODA BREAD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Dust selected tin generously with flour (we always used a Swiss roll tin for this bread).
• 2. Sieve the plain flour, salt and soda into a large mixing bowl. Add the wholemeal flour and mix well, lifting the dry ingredients just above the bowl's rim in order to circulate air and produce a lighter bread.
• 3. Beat the egg in a small bowl and beat in the buttermilk. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the liquid and mix to a soft dough with a wooden spoon or by hand.
• 4. Bring dough together with flour-dusted fingers and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly into the smooth desired shape. If the dough is sticky, dust over a little more flour and knead it in to make it more manageable. Transfer to prepared tin, dust with wholemeal and cut a cross on top with a sharp knife to allow to rise evenly.
• 5. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Remove from tin and tap the base of the bread. If it sounds hollow it us cooked, if not return to the oven for a few more minutes. Cool on a wire rack before serving with country butter and home-made jam for the full experience.