By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- 5(216)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This Irish soda bread is inspired by a classic, made with white flour and currants, called “spotty dog.” My whole wheat version proved to be the perfect home for some particularly luscious golden raisins and walnuts that I get from a vendor at my farmers’ market.
Featured in: Quick Breads That Are Sweet, Savory and Whole Wheat
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Ingredients
Yield:1 large loaf (about 16 slices)
- 375grams (3 cups) whole wheat flour
- 125grams (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 10grams (2 teaspoons) baking soda
- 10grams (1¼ teaspoons) fine sea salt
- 60grams (heaped ½ cup) chopped walnuts
- 110grams (1 cup) golden raisins or regular raisins
- 475grams (2 cups) buttermilk
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
165 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 218 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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Preparation
Step
1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Sift together the flours, baking soda and salt and place in a wide bowl
Step
2
Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the walnuts and raisins and pour in the buttermilk. Using a wide rubber spatula, a wide wooden spoon or your hands mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl to the center, turning the bowl and sweeping the flour from the sides into the buttermilk. Mix until the buttermilk, raisins and walnuts 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
3
Gently and quickly 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. Place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet and cut a ½-inch deep cross across the top. You shouldn’t let too much time lapse between the time you add the buttermilk to the flour and the moment you put the loaf into the oven.
Step
4
Bake 40 to 45 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.
Tip
- Advance preparation: Soda bread is best eaten within 2 days of baking. It does not freeze well.
Ratings
5
out of 5
216
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Cooking Notes
Kristien
Delicious!
I have better results with just 450gr of buttermilk.
Freezing this bread works fine for me.
Noodles
I like to add a couple of tablespoons of caraway seeds to my soda breads. Toast the whole seeds briefly before adding them to the other dry ingredients.
ChuckK
This is very bland! I doubled the walnuts and increased the raisins by half, added a tsp of cinnamon and a TB of maple syrup, and it was better.
Erin
I made this at 7000+ feet in elevation and it came out wonderfully. I did add some caraway seeds, and more raisins and walnuts then the recipe called for. Very easy (even after 3 Guinness)!
Nikita
Subbed a cup of oats, whisky soaked currents and sunflower seeds. Excellent.
Kay
Just made this exactly as written making sure to weigh all the ingredients. It was fantastic. Would not change a thing!
Vicki
I had frozen buttermilk, but not quite enough, so I added some regular milk with a squeeze of lemon to what I had. To lighten it up, I used half white and half wheat flour. I don’t like raisins much, so I used a dried fruit mix. I can’t eat walnuts, so I used pecans. And then I added some chopped pumpkin seeds for variety. It was a bit crumbly and flour-y, and looked rustic, but it tasted good. I will make again, but cut down the salt by a few grams.
Carmine
Tasty and has a nice texture. I didn't like the bitterness of the whole wheat, and the lack of butter seemed wrong so I melted some and added it to the liquid. I used less total liquid as someone else suggested.
Sasha
Made as written, with a couple of adjustments. I subbed kefir for buttermilk entirely, and it came out beautifully! No raisins, so I chopped up some dried apricots and added a couple tablespoons of caraway seeds as well. A definite keeper!
Joshua
I've tried to make this twice and it seems clear there isn't enough buttermilk. It's too dry to knead and just turns to wet crumbles really. I've tired adding more milk but that didn't work either. I don't bread a lot, but strangely I find making sourdough is easier and works more consistently.
Kathleen
For dietary reasons, my husband and I have switched to whole grain baking.I tried this recipe for the first time and found it to be perfect. It has a nice depth of flavor and the added nuts and raisins give it a sweetness. I am finding that weighing rather than measuring the flour and other dry ingredients is making a huge difference in the outcome. Kitchen Scales are inexpensive and very accurate. You won’t have to wash measuring cups.
Deborah
I made 1/2 a recipe but added one beaten egg to 3/4 Cup of soured milk w 2/3 Cup of soaked currants and raisins (I used sherry to soak); mixed by one had in a bowl and kneaded in the same bowl w my hand; 31 mins at 400 for the smaller loaf was perfect
Rebecca Lowy
- 500g AP flour- Add 1 tbsp of sugar- Add soaked dried fruit- Add a bit more salt (maybe 14g)- 275g buttermilk exactly (don’t go over)- try with 1/2 tsp allspice- Try doing it in individual drop biscuits, bake at 400 for 20 min + brush the tops with buttermilk
Brigid H
Delicious! I like my soda bread unsweetened and the added bonus to this healthy variation is there is no butter. I was skeptical about the need for lightly covering the loaf with a tea towel once it was done, but the result was perfect. Crunchy crust, soft interior. I freeze soda bread all the time, with no loss in taste or texture.
Mary
I made this with ground black walnuts, golden raisins, and King Arthur organic medium rye flour. It was absolutely delicious. I made sure I had buttermilk this time, and it gave a better texture than the yogurt/milk mixture I used last time.
Laura H
If I don’t have buttermilk, I use Greek Yogurt and milk which works just fine
Veena
I didn't have buttermilk, so subbed 1.5 cup of vanilla greek yogurt and a half a cup of milk whisked in it til smooth and liquidy. I also used half raisins and half dried cranberries. I think it may have been bland without the bit of sugar from the vanilla yogurt. It is a little dense, but makes a great breakfast with a cup of coffee and a slab of butter!
ChuckK
This is very bland! I doubled the walnuts and increased the raisins by half, added a tsp of cinnamon and a TB of maple syrup, and it was better.
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