Whole-wheat soda bread is a healthy addition to your plate! One serving—a 1/2-inch-thick slice—provides complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals. Per serving, the whole-wheat flour in this recipe provides about 10% of your daily fiber needs—and fiber has numerous health benefits, including a healthier gut and more regular bowel movements. It also helps keep you full and satisfied.
Tips from the Test Kitchen
Where Did Soda Bread Originate?
According to many historians, the earliest recipes for soda bread were published in the early 1800s in the United Kingdom. And some say that Native Americans were leavening bread with pearlash (a byproduct of wood ash) well before that.
Is Bread Soda the Same as Baking Soda?
Yes, it’s the same thing. Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate, which is a combination of baking soda, monocalcium phosphate and corn starch. This powdered trifecta and the chemical reaction that happens when it’s introduced to a liquid is what gives a good rise, crumb and fluff in breads and other baked goods.
Yes, but we think the flavor and texture of soda bread are best when eaten the day it’s baked. Plus, it's a kind of bread that can get stale sooner than regular bread. You can make it a couple of days beforehand (no need to refrigerate it), and you can freeze slices for a few months, but you might want to toast the bread after doing this. Be sure to store the soda bread in an airtight container or wrap it well.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little flour.
Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Using one hand, stir in full circles (starting in the center of the bowl working toward the outside of the bowl) until all the flour is incorporated. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, in a matter of seconds, turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Clean the dough off your hand.
Pat and roll the dough gently with floury hands, just enough to tidy it up and give it a round shape. Flip over and flatten slightly to about 2 inches. Transfer the loaf to the prepared baking sheet. Mark with a deep cross using a serrated knife and prick each of the 4 quadrants.
Bake the bread for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and continue to bake until the loaf is brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped, 30 to 35 minutes more. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool for about 30 minutes.
Tips
Easy cleanup: Recipes that require cooking spray can leave behind a sticky residue that can be hard to clean. To save time and keep your baking sheet looking fresh, line it with a layer of foil before you apply the cooking spray.
Originally appeared: EatingWell Magazine, April/May 2005
Whole-wheat soda bread is a healthy addition to your plate! One serving—a 1/2-inch-thick slice—provides complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals.
If you see a loaf of soda bread either on a store shelf or on a dinner table, chances are it's not gluten-free. People often think it's gluten-free because it doesn't use yeast to leaven the bread (it uses baking soda), but there's still wheat flour in the bread, which again makes it not gluten-free.
Soda breads are made using wholemeal, white flour, or both. In Ulster, the wholemeal variety is usually known as wheaten bread and is normally sweetened, while the term "soda bread" is restricted to the white savoury form.
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.
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.
This soda bread recipe – which uses bicarbonate of soda rather than yeast – allows you to whip up delicious home-made bread quickly, and give your gut health a massive boost in the process. “Soda bread lends itself beautifully to healthy loaves that are full of nutrition,” says nutritionist Reece Carter.
Contrary to a common misconceptions, the Irish did not import the Soda Bread recipe from the American Indians. This misconception is my fault because 30+ years ago on the original site I happened to mention Native Americans using Potash to make bread.
They pay tribute to how far the Irish have come since the famine years (known as An Gorta Mor), when soda bread was often the only thing on the table to eat. The society is also quite firm on the traditional ingredients of soda bread: Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Buttermilk. Anything else added makes it a “Tea Cake!”
For this reason, the reality is that Irish soda bread is much closer to a quick bread or scone than a loaf of bread. It rises thanks to a process called chemical leavening, in which the baking soda (a base) reacts when it's mixed with something acidic like buttermilk to produce carbon dioxide.
I was always told that the cross on the top of Irish Soda Bread was to symbolize the Catholic faith of Ireland, and the Gaelic Cross. Some say it kept the Devil out, but that is what a cross is supposed to do also. Turns out that is true but more importantly, it helps in the baking of the bread.
Because soda bread is not yeasted bread, kneading it just makes it dense and hard. To develop its trademark soft crumb, you touch the dough as little as possible while shaping it. If you prefer a chewier kneaded bread texture but don't want to put in all that work, try our easy No-Knead Bread recipe.
People often ask if sourdough bread and soda bread are the same thing. The quick answer is no. While both sourdough and soda bread share some similarities, such as the lactic acid inside the bread, they both use different ingredients and processes – which also means they taste different, too.
In the United States, "Irish soda bread" generally means a somewhat sweet white bread made with eggs and butter and studded with raisins and caraway seeds — the "soda" in the name comes from the baking soda (or "bread soda" in Ireland) used to leaven it instead of yeast and kneading.
*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.
Bread soda is also known as bicarbonate of soda and baking soda. A good substitute for buttermilk, if you need sour milk in a recipe, add 1/2 teaspoon of Shamrock Bread Soda to 150ml fresh milk. For Cleaning, use a solution fo 1 teaspoon Shamrock Bread Soda to a pint of water.
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