Irish Oatmeal Soda Bread ~ I’ve made this authentic Irish quick bread even more delicious with the addition of oat flour…you won’t find an easier, or more tasty quick bread anywhere ~ it’s ready in under an hour!
Soda bread, or bread made without yeast, and leavened with baking soda and buttermilk, has been made on a daily basis by the Irish for generations. This bread has a unique texture and a charming simplicity. Maybe you fist encounter it when you’re putting together a St. Patrick’s Day menu, but once you try it, it will become one of those recipes you turn to again and again. Bread this quick and easy doesn’t come along every day.
I’ve used one of my favorite ingredients to bump up the flavor and texture of this Irish oatmeal soda bread ~ oat flour! It’s naturally sweet, and adds so much to almost anything you bake. And guess what? You don’t need to go out and buy anything special, you can whip up your own by processing regular oats, either rolled or steel cut, in a food processor or high speed blender. I used my Vitamix and it took less than a minute. The resulting flour is silky and really delicious. For more details, check out my post about how to make your own oat flour!
TIP: If you can get past the scraggly looks of this bread, you’re a wise person because you’ll have a wonderful go-to bread recipe that can be hot on your table in less than an hour.
The characteristic cross is cut into the dough with a sharp knife just before baking to allow the bread to rise…and to let the fairies escape!
*Recipe adapted from Irish Pub Cooking
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk (possibly a little bit more)
Instructions
- Set oven to 425F
- Whisk the flours, salt, and soda together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, and add about 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk. Gradually mix the flour and buttermilk, adding the remaining buttermilk if your dough seems too dry. The dough will have a rough texture to it.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead briefly until it comes together. Form into an 8 inch round disk. Transfer to a baking sheet and cut a cross in the top with a sharp knife.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. It should sound hollow when you rap the bottom.
- Let cool for a few minutes, but then enjoy it while still warm, with some good Irish butter, of course!
Notes:
- If you want a real treat, MAKE YOUR OWN BUTTER to have with your bread!
- There are lots of variation on the basic soda bread, here are a few of my favorites ~ Rosemary Cheddar Irish Soda Bread, Skillet Maple Irish Soda Bread, and here’s a recipe for Irish Soda Bread Muffins!
Don’t forget to Pin this Irish Oatmeal Soda Bread!
33 Comments
Deb
October 5, 2018 at 6:14 amI just made this yesterday after looking for an authentic recipe when we returned from a vacation in Ireland. So glad I found your recipe! I did tweak it a bit, used 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup of “Irish” flour (from King Arthur) which is a grainy wheat flour and 1 cup of oat flour. I also added about 1/3 cup of quick cook steel cut oats (McCann’s) and rolled old-fashioned oats combined. I loved finding the recipe without sugar. Used all your proportions and made it in a loaf pan, and we love it! I didn’t think 30 minutes would be long enough, but it was perfect. So far just with butter (Irish!) and warm from the pan, but can’t wait to try toasted with jams. Thank you for the keeper!
Sue
October 5, 2018 at 5:48 pmI’m thrilled that this bread lived up to your Irish experience, that’s the highest compliment :)