Today, I share how to make a Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread that’s perfect for your Saint Patrick’s Day dinner. Enjoy it with your Corned Beef and Cabbage and other St. Patrick’s Day recipes!
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Table of Contents
- Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
- Wheat Berries FAQs
- Sprouting Wheat Berries and Other Whole Grains
- Using a Mockmill to Grind Grain
- How to Make All-Purpose Flour
- Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes
- More Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes
- More Soda Bread Recipes
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Recipe
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
I really like to use whole grain flour in recipes whenever I can to improve the nutrition of a baked good, and this Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread recipe is no exception. I know that everyone around your Saint Patrick’s Day dinner table will enjoy this tasty and surprisingly light bread.
Wheat Berries FAQs
In my recipe video, I show you how to make Irish Soda Bread using the Ancient Grain Spelt. To learn more about Spelt and other wheat berries, such as Einkorn, watch my Wheat Berries FAQ video.
Sprouting Wheat Berries and Other Whole Grains
When I make my Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread, I actually use sprouted Spelt berries. Sprouted grains are easier to digest and enable us to absorb nutrients better.
If you want to learn how to sprout your grains, I show you how easy it is to do in my How to Make Sprouted Flour at Home video. And don’t worry. It’s not time-consuming. Most all of the work is on the part of the grain!
Using a Mockmill to Grind Grain
When it comes to making Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread or any whole grain bread for that matter, I love to grind my own grain to make fresh flour. There’s nothing like it! The aroma of freshly ground grain is heavenly. Saint Patrick would definitely approve! 🍀 😊
After a lot of research, I purchased a Mockmill 100 to grind my whole grains. You can see me unbox and try out my Mockmill in the following video.
In addition to the Mockmill, you can also grind whole grains with a hand crank grain mill or a high-speed blender. I show you all three ways to grind grain in my How to Store Whole Grain and Make Homemade Flour video.
How to Make All-Purpose Flour
Have you ever wondered how you can make an all-purpose flour from freshly ground whole grain flour? It’s easy! In my How to Make All Purpose Einkorn Flour at Home video, I grind whole Einkorn berries and show you how to make all purpose Einkorn flour.
Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes
To complete your Saint Patrick’s Day meal, be sure to make Corned Beef and Cabbage. I show you how to make this traditional recipe on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot in the following videos.
Your delicious dinner will come out perfect either way, thanks to the tips and tricks I share on how to pick out the perfect cut of meat.
I also show you how to slice the cooked corned beef to avoid a stringy mess and instead have beautiful lean slices that would treat a saint! 😉
No Saint Patrick’s Day meal would be complete without dessert, so be sure to make this easy one bowl Irish Apple Cake. It’s absolutely scrumptious with a crunchy sugar topping.
Plus, in the video, I share a cute little story with you about how my sweet Italian mother perfected this superb Traditional Irish Apple Cake!
More Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes
How to Make Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage
Enjoy this Traditional Irish American meal.
How to Make Bread Without Yeast – Easy Irish Soda Bread
All it takes is all-purpose flour, baking soda, and 30 minutes in the oven to create this beautiful and tasty bread!
How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Instant Pot
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this quick and easy recipe.
How to Make a Traditional Irish Apple Cake
Enjoy this Irish dessert with your St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef and Cabbage.
More Soda Bread Recipes
If you are looking for an easy-to-make, yeast-free bread, be sure to watch the following video. This recipe is a simple take on an Irish Soda Bread that is perfect for the new baker. It’s quick to make, definitely foolproof, and yet 100% delicious!
For a whole-grain Irish Soda Bread that’s made in a cast iron pan to feed a crowd or a very hungry appetite, watch the Irish Brown Soda Bread video.
- Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread Recipe for St. Patrick’s Day (made in a cast iron pan)
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
And if you’re looking for a printed book full of my traditional foods recipes to show you how to create a traditional foods kitchen, be sure to order your copy of my new bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook.
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The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
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Kitchen Academy Videos
Discussing the Secrets to Perfect Green Herbal Oils
Let’s talk about the popularity of flavored herbal oils.
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What Is the Best Time to Eat Dinner?
Find out if eating dinner early or late is best for you. You might be surprised!
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Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups Whole wheat flour I used freshly ground Spelt flour, which is an ancient whole wheat grain.
- 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour I sifted out the bran and germ from some of my freshly-ground Spelt flour to make 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose Spelt flour.
- 1 tbsp Sugar I used Sucanat. You can use white sugar or any whole sweetener, such as maple sugar, coconut sugar, or date sugar.
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 4 tbsp Butter, unsalted and softened Coconut oil can be substituted to make this recipe dairy-free. Or fat of any kind can be omitted. If using salted butter, decrease the salt in this recipe to 1/2 teaspoon.
- 1 cup Dried currants You can substitute raisins or other small dried fruit.
- 1 large Egg
- 1 3/4 cups Buttermilk You can also substitute milk that has been soured with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. You can also use unsoured milk or water, but the texture of the final product will be slightly less tender. Alternatively, to make this recipe dairy-free, you can use oat milk or almond milk. I do not recommend using soy milk.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Alternatively, you can butter the baking sheet and dust it lightly with flour. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Add the butter to the flour mixture, and work it into the flour with your hands until the mixture resembles damp sand. (See video.)
- Add the currants or other dried fruit to the flour and butter mixture, and mix well so that the fruit is completely coated with the flour.
- Add the egg to the buttermilk and mix well.
- Make a well in the flour and butter mixture and pour in the egg buttermilk mixture.
- Forming your hand into an open claw shape, mix everything together so that the flour and butter mixture is completely saturated with the egg buttermilk mixture and begins to come together and hold its shape. Use a light hand to mix this dough, and DO NOT knead the dough. (See video.) If the mixture is very sticky, you can add up to 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour.
- Gently form the dough into a ball in the bowl.
- Transfer the ball to the baking sheet.
- Dust hands lightly with flour and pat the dough ball down gently to flatten slightly.
- Using a sharp or serrated knife, cut a large cross across the top of the dough. (See video.)
- Make a small indentation in each quadrant of the dough with the tip of the knife.
- Transfer the baking sheet with the dough onto the middle rack of the preheated oven.
- Bake until the bread is golden brown, and when tapped on the bottom, the bread sounds hollow. The baking process takes approximately 35-45 minutes.
- If the bread is browning too quickly, but has not yet finished baking, you can tent it with foil.
- When the bread has baked thoroughly, remove the baking sheet with the bread from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface.
- Transfer the bread to a cooling rack, and allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Bread may be served warm or at room temperature.
- Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread can be stored in the refrigerator, well wrapped, for 3-4 days. It can also be stored in the freezer, well wrapped, for 2-3 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite St Patrick’s Day Cooking Supplies
- 10-Piece Glass Bowl Set
- Mesh Strainers
- Baker’s 40 Mesh Strainer
- Baker’s 60 Mesh Strainer
- Large Measuring Cup
- Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Favorite Grain and Flour Supplies
Einkorn
- Einkorn Grain
- Sprouted Einkorn Grain
- Whole Grain Einkorn Flour
- All Purpose Einkorn Flour
- Sprouted Einkorn Flour
Emmer
Kamut
Spelt
Whole Wheat
Favorite Mockmill Supplies
- Mockmill Grain Grinder and Whole Grains
- Mockmill 100 Stone Grain Mill
- Organic Spelt Berries
- Organic Einkorn Wheat Berries
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
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