Wholemeal Irish Brown Soda Bread with Oats
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Wholemeal and plain flour, oats, bicarbonate, salt and a little brown sugar are stirred with buttermilk and melted butter, shaped into a round, cut with a deep cross and baked to 93 °C.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan).
- 2
Mix. Stir the flours, oats, bicarbonate, salt and sugar together. Add the melted butter and buttermilk and stir quickly into a soft, sticky dough. Do not knead.
- 3
Shape. Tip onto a floured surface and shape gently into a round about 18 cm across. Put on the tray, scatter with oats and cut a deep cross across the top.
- 4
Bake. Bake straight away for 40-45 minutes until browned, hollow-sounding underneath and 93 °C in the centre.
- 5
Cool. Wrap in a tea towel for a soft crust, or leave uncovered for a crisp one, and cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Storage
Keep wrapped at room temperature and eat within 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Refresh in a hot oven for a few minutes.
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 3.6 g protein per 100 kcal, about 14% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Source of fibre: 1.9 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 1.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 55 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
1.2 g per serving
2.4 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 4.8 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large bowl
- fork or butter knife
- baking tray lined with baking paper
- sharp knife
- instant-read thermometer
- wire rack
- clean tea towel
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 213 kcal |
| Protein | 7.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 39.1 g |
| of which sugars | 3.6 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 3.6 g |
| of which saturates | 1.7 g |
| Fibre | 4 g |
| Salt | 1.22 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
