By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(144)
- Notes
- Read community notes
If you have ever been to Ireland you have tasted soda bread, a moist, easy to make bread that is rich and nutty tasting when made with whole wheat flour. It is a very quick and easy bread to make as long as you are willing to get your hands sticky. When you pull the bread from the oven wrap it loosely in a kitchen towel and allow to cool. This softens the crust and makes it easier to cut.
Featured in: Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread With Bulgur
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Ingredients
Yield:1 9-inch loaf (about 16 generous slices)
- 120grams (about ¾ cup) medium (#2) bulgur
- 1cup boiling water
- 460grams (about 3⅔ cups) whole wheat flour
- 8grams baking soda (1½ teaspoons)
- 10grams salt (about 1½ teaspoons)
- 2cups buttermilk (more as needed)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour on 1 cup boiling water, or enough to cover the bulgur by about ½ inch. Cover the bowl and allow the bulgur to sit for 30 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed and the grains are tender.
Step
2
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Step
3
Place the flour in a large, wide bowl and sift in the baking soda and salt. Mix in with your hands or with a wide spatula. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Add the bulgur to the well, then mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl to the center using a wide rubber spatula, a wide wooden spoon or your hands, turning the bowl and sweeping the flour from the sides into the buttermilk. Mix until the bulgur and buttermilk have been incorporated into the flour, then scrape out onto a lightly floured work surface. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky. Flour your hands so it won’t stick to them.
Step
4
Gently knead the dough, only enough to shape it into a ball, then with floured hands gently pat it down to a 2-inch high round, about 9 inches in diameter. Place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet and cut a ½-inch deep cross across the top.
Step
5
Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Turn down the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf responds with a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven, wrap loosely in a cloth or kitchen towel, and cool on a rack.
Tips
- If you have been following my baking recipes, done in grams, note that I have revised my weight of 1 cup of flour; scooping flour into a cup with a tablespoon and leveling off, I got a lighter cup of flour (about 125 grams as opposed to the 140 I used in my muffin recipes) and am basing my approximations on this.
- Advance preparation: Soda bread is best eaten within 2 days of baking. It does not freeze well.
Ratings
4
out of 5
144
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Cooking Notes
Amy
Why include bulgur in soda bread? I'd love a bit more explanation of the creation process and what to expect with this recipe.
Nadia
American whole wheat flour isn't as rough as the wholemeal flour used in Ireland. You can order Odlum's Wholemeal flour but it is crazy expensive. I have never had much success with trying to replicate Irish brown bread- even with the flour- plan on giving this a whirl today
LindaL
I love this bread! The recipe is easy and the ingredient proportions were just right. Excellent soft but chewy texture and great flavor. Nothing like other sweet, cake-like versions I have had. Really good toasted (or even warmed in the microwave) with butter.
Joan
Part of what gives soda bread that nutty, rustic flavor and texture is the inclusion off cracked or broken grains. It’s hard to find cracked wheat flour here, so adding bulgur is a reasonable approximation.
Bonnie
The dough was beyond soft and sticky! I had to almost double the quantity of flour to make it manageable. I also had to increase the cooking time. That said, the bread is dense and delicious. I added a cup of walnuts as well to make it even more nutritious. Will definitely make again.
Sally
This Irish Soda bread is a satisfying, hearty and delicious alternative to white flour Irish Soda Bread. I baked a loaf for a St. Patrick's party and it was a hit. My husband loved it too. Finding bulgur was not so easy, but the health food coop had it in a bin. It's now in my favorites recipes for St. Patrick's day, along with homemade brined bristled for corned beef.
Rachel Holmen
Try kasha, available in most grocery stores, for bulgur wheat? Kasha is toasted buckwheat; bulgur is a cracked wheat (used in traditional tabbouleh); it's soaked and then baked; since it's wheat, it contains gluten. Kasha is gluten-free.(Info based on personal experience, plus info from several nutrition websites.)
AliM
I followed the instructions, weighed the ingredients and followed the times and temps and ended up with a loaf that was better suited to being a doorstop. It weighed a ton and was flat. Where did I go wrong?
Will
I froze leftover bread (sliced) and it was perfectly good three months later. This is the best bread of this type that I’ve ever made…
BLC
Mar. 2020. Too much liquid (maybe the 140 g flour that's mentioned in the "tips" section would work better, or reduce the amount of water that you add to the bulgur. It was impossible to transfer the first loaf from the counter to the cookie sheet, so I had to reshape it on the sheet. I scraped the dough for the second loaf directly onto the sheet, then shaped it there.Made 2 smaller loaves instead of one large one.
Danielle
Tasty, simple, quick -- we made it alongside the creamy broccoli soup and this was done first. I used instant oats bc bulger wasn't in the cards.
Chantal
Fantastic! Used some couscous that was lurking in the pantry. Flour is clearly the most critical variable -- I had stone ground ww flour from local bakery. Bracing for a very wet dough, I ended up with one that was almost dry. Staying the course, I popped it in the oven as was, and ended up with a gorgeous, moist loaf. Oh, and added walnuts for a lovely crunch.
Rudolfo
I followed the recipe exactly, which is something I rarely do. The soda bread baked exceptionally well ending with a superb hallow sound. The flavor was a balance of wheat and bulgur pleasing to my buds with hints of sweetness (albeit no brown sugar was added) and, the texture had a soft yet firm essence that togethered exceptionally well with butter and preserves. Making another recipe today.
terry94705
Mmm. My first soda bread. Followed recipe and timings closely. The only variance was letting the soaked bulgar sit for a couple of hours. Don’t know if this made any difference. You don’t notice the bulgar as bulgar—just a tasty grainy bread. Yummy and easy. Dense but not gummy. Most was consumed in a half day.
Jennifer toews shimizu
First 240 or 250, then 200 to finish off. (Ignore previous notes)
CA
Made with white whole wheat and bulgur in sun oven late in day (200-300fegrees). Need hotter oven and maybe leave off lid.
Tahini Cookies
Agree with the others - I had to add an extra 1 cup of flour, but otherwise followed the recipe and got a delicious loaf!
Sara
American wholewheat flour is more refined than Irish flour, which is why the bulgur is needed. Soaking the bulgur gave it texture that didn't break teeth. I did 2 cups of white to 1 2/3 wholewheat flour and increased the baking soda to 2 tsp. It was very wet so I added more wholewheat flour at the end. Turned out beautifully. Delicious and easy.
Joules
Followed the recipe (scaled it all out in grams) with the exception of whole milk instead of buttermilk and it was fantastic! The dough was very wet but there was no need to add more flour just to make it more manageable because the results were great! Next time I may just trying turning the dough out onto the baking sheet and quickly shaping it.
Debbie Crane
I was a bit unsure about this, but it came out really great. Nice to have a healthy recipe for Irish soda bread. I'm trying to eat more complex carbs and this fit the bill. It is also really easy.
Bonnie
I love this bread. I substituted uncooked oats for some of the flour, and I added a cup of walnuts.
BEVERLY A SAUER
I’ve made this bread twice with mixed results. First time: i used Bob’s Bulgur wheat, which didn’t absorb the water well. I used a soy/ lemon substitute for the buttermilk because I’m allergic to cow’s milk. The dough was so sticky I had to add a lot more flour to handle it at all. I’ll add that I’m a pretty good baker and know the feel of good dough. The bread was gummy
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