Brown Soda Bread With Oats Recipe (2024)

By Martha Rose Shulman

Brown Soda Bread With Oats Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(499)
Notes
Read community notes

For years I’ve been trying to make a moist soda bread loaf like the kind I love to eat when I’m in Ireland. Finally I’ve achieved it with this recipe, which is adapted from Bon Appétit’s recipe for Fallon & Byrne Soda Bread (Fallon & Byrne is a restaurant in Dublin). The bread is a whole-wheat loaf with both rolled and steel-cut (pinhead) oats, and does not have the hard crust that round soda breads can have. One reason is that the moist dough is baked at a lower temperature than free-form soda bread.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 loaf, about 12 slices

  • Soft butter for the bread pan
  • 125grams (approximately 1 cup) whole-wheat flour
  • 62grams (approximately ½ cup) unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
  • 25grams (2 rounded tablespoons) steel-cut oats, either regular or quick-cooking
  • 40grams (approximately ⅓ cup) rolled oats
  • 8grams (approximately 2 teaspoons, tightly packed) brown sugar
  • 3.5grams (½ teaspoon) salt
  • 10grams (2 teaspoons) baking soda, sifted
  • 290grams (approximately 1¼ cups) buttermilk

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

182 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 549 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Brown Soda Bread With Oats Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8½ x 4½ x 2½-inch bread pan.

  2. In a large bowl, mix together flours, steel-cut oats, rolled oats, brown sugar, salt and sifted baking soda. Mix well with your hands.

  3. Step

    3

    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.)

  4. Step

    4

    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.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: This keeps for about 4 days and can be frozen.

Ratings

5

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499

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

filofilia

Made this as friends were coming over—prep was a flash and it slid right out of the pan. Served with tasty local cheeses and the bread became the main event of the meal. Everyone loved it. Not too sweet or soda-tasting for us!*only had quick-cook oats (sigh) so used those for the 65g of steel-cut/tolled oats and it worked just fine. *made ‘buttermilk’ with 280g whole milk and 10g vinegar.

Ann Bokelman

We are just back from Ireland and we loved the brown bread while we were there. This bread is excellent and very much like the best brown bread we had there. I followed the recipe exactly and think that the steel cut oats are essential for that toothsome texture that make it so delicious. And of course it needs some good Irish butter!

Me

This makes a delicious loaf, very much like the bread I had in Ireland. You do not need to use 2 teaspoons of baking soda. One teaspoon will be enough and you will not get that odd bitter taste from an excess of soda.

Ellen

This is a wonderful recipe and so easy to make. I double it and bake in a 8 inch round pan. I do substitute molasses for the brown sugar. So good and healthy too.

Una

If you are familiar with McCambridge's bread in Ireland, then this is a wonderful replacement, in fact, improvement, as it's home made. I make it weekly and have used greek yoghurt as a substitute for buttermilk and that worked well. Super easy and tasty!

Eileen

Only use 1 teaspoon of baking soda. As per other recipes. 2 teaspoons will give it a really weird after taste. Just made this and had to chuck it. Remaking with 1 teaspoon.

Ken

I love this bread. It's the best soda bread I've ever had, full of whole grains including oats - an essential food for those of us of Scottish descent. I've made it with Greek yogurt when I didn't have buttermilk but had to have this bread and it works well. Highly recommended. Thanks, Ms. Shulman.

Elizabeth

The smell brought me back to Ireland, and I could barely wait for it to cool before slicing off a piece! I had read through the comments first and reduced the baking soda to 7g - no aftertaste. I had no buttermilk so I subbed kefir, which worked well. Simple, delicious, and will absolutely make again. Another fantastic recipe from Ms. Shulman!

Tom

This bread tastes exactly like what is served with almost every meal in Ireland. It is super, super easy to make and is delicious with butter and jam. We can't get enough of it! Thank you so much for this recipe, you helped lessen my sad heart that can't wait to return to Ireland!

Ellen

The bread had a strange aftertaste, which I think was baking soda--too much for the size of the loaf. It was not something I would make again.

Meghan

After living in Ireland for four years and returning to the states, I've tried many recipes trying to fulfill my craving for brown bread, this is is by far the best. The steel cut oats really add to to the texture!

Chase

Made a dairy-free version of this with Oat Milk Apple Cider Vinegar replacing buttermilk. Worked like a charm. Love this recipe! Super Oatey.

betts

This loaf is the perfect size for small households and it is as moist and delicious as described. I did toast both types of oats in a skillet with about a Tablespoon of butter for an extra tasty depth of flavor. 1 teaspoon of soda was enough.

susan

the batter was way too wet, more like cake batter I had to add additional flour to get the dough to the consistency of a stiffer batter. Otherwise this was a delicious loaf.

CJM

My family loved this bread. I didn’t have butter milk; so I used sour cream that I thinned. I’m going to add some flax seeds next time.

Mary-Margaret

Used Greek yogurt instead of buttermilk, no pin oats, added pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and a bit of tangerine zest. Made during an ice storm so used what we had. Very good.

On The Coast

No steel-cut oasts so I toasted some millet and added that. Gave a nice crunch.

RBJ

Sub 1/2 cup oat bran 1 or 2 teaspoons baking soda? 1 .5?

Maria

I subbed grits for steel cut oats and rehydrated 1/4 c buttermilk powder using half water half milk, and it came out fantastic. I used the full amount of baking soda and noticed no soda taste in the finished loaf.

Brian K

Remarkably easy to prepare! After trying it a few times with regular whole wheat flour I purchased some imported Irish extra coarse whole meal flour and the texture is wonderful. I use more brown sugar than called for (a rounded tablespoon) and it does not make it too sweet, and might try it with molasses at some point for the extra flavor. I also have added a half cup each of raisins and chopped walnuts and have been pleased with the results. Very easy and delicious.

Ben

I have made this bread many times and it's great! Recently, I had some extra apples and carrots on hand, and here's the recipe I used to make it, modified from the above.217g AP flour70g rolled oats4g salt10g baking soda290g buttermilk1 apple, grated (I used Fuji)1 small-medium carrot, gratedFollow instructions as listed, mixing in grated fruits to buttermilk and then mixing dry and wets. Bake for 45 minutes.

Ally

Yum! Cut baking soda to 1 tsp (perfect; thank, peeps). Terrific! But, I only had a standard "loaf pan" (bigger than the "bread pan" measurements specified), so the dough did not fill the pan much, and I had to adjust baking time. Went ahead and bought the small "bread pan" (because this bread is that good), as when I sucked it up and bought 10" cake pans for a special chocolate cake recipe that needs 10", not standard 9", pans . Soooo many pans....Sigh.

salt

This bread is dense, buttery, and fantastic! I like to 1.5x the recipe to make a taller loaf but it still only takes the 40 mins of bake time. Top it with flax, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, oats, almond slivers… great for breakfast with butter and jam.

Ilona

In Lithuania we are fond of brown bread (we say black), offen made from rye flour. May be that is the reason I find the result of this recipe absolutelly bland. I liked the texture and the presence of oats very much, but the taste is dissappointing.

Ben

This bread is incredibly tasty for how simple it is - I used white whole wheat but kept everything else the same. Wow. I often have buttermilk in my fridge, and I think I've found the perfect use for it :)

Emma

A fabulous little number!Delicious, incredibly easy and versatile. Thank you!Regarding the oats, I just used 65g of what I had: Scott's smooth cut oats. Also, I only had rye flour, not wholewheat. Nonetheless, came out a dream.

Patricia

Loved this bread. Following the advice of other reviewers I only used one and a half teaspoons of soda and 2 tablespoons of molasses in place of the brown sugar (I deducted 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk.) loved it for St. Patrick’s Day dinner and for breakfast the next day.

amanda

Yum! Pretty low in the bread pan but tastes great. Used half the amount of baking soda per comments

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Brown Soda Bread With Oats Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between brown bread and soda bread? ›

If you really want to get technical, brown bread is a form of soda bread since it uses baking soda as the leavening agent. However, the two loaves differ pretty significantly from there. Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour.

What is a substitute for Irish flour? ›

*If you don't have access to KA's whole meal Irish-style flour, you can substitute Whole wheat pastry flour. It will be finer, and the loaf a be a bit moister, but it is an adequate substitute.

Is brown soda bread good for you? ›

Yes! Between its straightforward recipe, short preparation and cooking time, and delicious taste, this is at the top of my list of bread to make! From traditional to added dried fruits, nuts and seeds, cheeses, and herbs, you can make your healthy Irish Soda Bread filled with heart healthy nutrients!

Is soda bread good for your gut? ›

Soda bread is quick to prepare and is a low-fat, yeast-free option. It may help alleviate symptoms of bloating and discomfort. If you're new to baking or short on time, our seeded soda bread is an ideal loaf to bake at home.

Which is healthier soda bread or sourdough bread? ›

Both types of bread use flour and contain refined carbohydrates. Sourdough bread would be considered healthier in the fact that it is a fermented food with lower gluten levels, making it easier to digest.

Is soda bread healthier than bread? ›

Healthy bread for yeast-free diets: Soda bread

This traditional Irish bread is made with wholemeal or white flour and buttermilk and baking powder rather than yeast, so ideal for people on yeast-free diets. Wholemeal varieties are healthiest. It's also super easy to make from home, try this simple soda bread recipe.

Can I use oats instead of flour? ›

Oats are low in fat, and are sodium free, cholesterol free and preservative free. When baking, you may substitute oats for up to one-third the amount of flour called for in the recipe using either Quick or Old Fashioned Oats. Instant Oatmeal is cut too fine, and is not recommended for baking.

Can I use Bisquick instead of flour? ›

Yes, Bisquick can be used as a substitute for flour when making pie crusts, but it may not produce the same result as using all-purpose flour. Bisquick is a pre-mixed baking mix that contains flour, baking powder, salt, and often other ingredients like shortening or oil.

How to make oat flour? ›

Fill your blender or food processor up to half-way with oats. Keep in mind that one cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats yields about one cup flour, whereas one cup steel-cut oats yields about two cups flour. Blend until the oats have turned into a fine flour, about 20 seconds to 1 minute.

Why do Irish people eat soda bread? ›

Irish soda bread was first created in the 1830s, when baking soda was first introduced to the UK. At the time, Ireland was facing financial hardship and lack of resources, so they turned to soda bread out of neccessity, it was inexpensive and required few ingredients.

What do the Irish eat with soda bread? ›

How to Eat Irish Soda Bread. This versatile bread works for any meal, but Irish soda bread is a natural for breakfast, whether simply spread with (Irish) butter and jam or alongside that hearty fry-up known as a full Irish breakfast. It's also wonderful with a cup of tea in the afternoon or as a late-night snack.

Why is soda bread so tasty? ›

In many ways it resembles a scone, another example of a baked good that doesn't use yeast. It has a similar flavor to a scone, thanks to the baking soda. Though it can be made plain, soda bread's flavor is usually defined by what is added to it. Caraway seeds are a very common soda bread ingredient.

What is the best thing to eat with soda bread? ›

Irish soda bread has a very mild flavor that can pair well with any kind of sandwich filling. Add Swiss cheese, corned beef, and sauerkraut for a classic savory sandwich combination. If you want to get creative, spread some apple butter on slices of toasted Irish soda bread and top them with freshly fried bacon.

Is sourdough bread same as soda bread? ›

The main difference between sourdough bread and soda bread is in its leavening agent – sourdough bread rises due to the gasses released from yeast and bacteria fermentation, while soda bread rises from the gasses produced during the chemical interaction between baking soda and acids in the dough.

What makes soda bread different? ›

Irish soda bread is prepared without yeast. Traditionally it has just four ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The baking soda and buttermilk react to cause the dough to rise. In Ireland, soda bread is often made from stone-ground whole-wheat flour, though white flour versions are available.

Is brown soda bread better than white bread? ›

Most people believe brown bread, otherwise known as wholemeal or whole-wheat bread, is better for our health than white. And according to most nutritionists, you'd be correct. Wholegrain products contain more fibre and nutrients than their white counterparts.

Why is soda bread different to normal bread? ›

What is soda bread? Soda bread is a type of quick bread which takes its name from the baking soda (or, sodium bicarbonate) that is used as a leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast. Traditionally, soda bread is made using flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.

Why is soda bread different? ›

This gave the bread its famous hard crust, dense texture, and slightly sour tang. The unique texture of soda bread is a result of the reaction between the acidic sour milk and baking soda, which formed small bubbles of carbon dioxide in the dough. The shape of soda bread is also steeped in tradition.

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