Brown Soda Bread

Why this recipe works Robust, moist, and permeated with wheaty sweetness, brown Irish soda bread holds lots of appeal. This quick bread gets its hearty, deeply flavored crumb from the addition of coarse whole-meal flour to the all-purpose flour. For a stateside version, we substituted whole-wheat flour for the hard-to-find whole-meal flour, and to highlight the bread’s nutty aspects we added toasted wheat germ. Unfortunately, these ingredients made our bread slightly gummy. To remedy this, we tried upping the baking soda, but it imparted a soapy flavor. Instead, equal amounts of two leaveners, baking soda and baking powder, lightened the bread without creating off-flavors. Acidic buttermilk played double-duty, yielding a moist loaf and reacting with the baking soda for a light crumb. Just a touch of sugar and a few tablespoons of butter added a hint of sweet richness. The dough required only a brief knead, and shaping it was a cinch—we simply patted it into a round. Finally, brushing melted butter on the hot loaf gave this authentic soda bread a rich crust.

Brown soda bread is often enjoyed sliced and spread with butter, making it a popular accompaniment to soups, stews, and hearty meals. Its rustic and straightforward preparation, without the need for yeast or lengthy rising times, makes it a quick and convenient bread to bake.

MAKES: 1 loaf

BAKING TIME: 45 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1¼ hours, plus 3 hours cooling time

KEY EQUIPMENT: rimmed baking sheet, pastry brush

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups (8¼ ounces) whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup (1½ ounces) toasted wheat germ
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1¾ cups (14 ounces) buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. In a second bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Gently fold the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture using a rubber spatula, scraping up any dry flour from the bottom of the bowl. Mix until a dough starts to form and there is no dry flour remaining.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and knead by hand until a cohesive mass forms, which should take about 30 seconds. Pat the dough into a 7-inch round shape and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
5. Using a sharp paring knife or a single-edge razor blade, make two 5-inch-long and ¼-inch-deep slashes with a swift, fluid motion along the top of the loaf to form a cross shape.
6. Bake the loaf until it turns golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, which should take about 45 to 50 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through the baking process.
7. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and brush it with the remaining melted butter. Allow the loaf to cool completely, which should take about 3 hours, before serving.

VARIATION:

BROWN SODA BREAD WITH CURRANTS AND CARAWAY

• Stir 1 cup dried currants and 1 tablespoon caraway seeds into flour mixture in step 1.