Wholemeal soda bread is simple to make, quick to bake and toasts up like a
dream. It’s perfect for sandwiches or just smeared with butter and jam.
This recipe is adapted from one by Irish chef and founder of Ballymaloe
Cookery School Darina Allen. She calls it Mummy’s Brown Soda Bread. I found
it in several places on the internet, one with a note that at 82 years
old (published in 2007) her mother Elizabeth O’Connell still made this loaf
every day.
Of course, that meant I had to find out if the ole gal was still baking now at
a possible 95 years old, which led me to the most
wonderful tribute
to Mrs. O’Connell who sadly passed away on April 17, 2008. Chef Allen speaks
of making this very bread as a young child in a mom-sewn apron, forming her
own little loaf from a piece of her mother’s larger ball of dough.
By all accounts, Mrs. O’Connell was a remarkable woman. Widowed at 36, she
gave birth to her ninth and last child a month after losing her husband. She
cooked them wholesome, healthy food, using produce from her kitchen garden,
milk from the family cow and chickens she raised. Chef Allen recounts that her
mother was still baking this soda bread, even after suffering a stroke, with
her “good hand.” What a woman! I wish I could have met her.
Wholemeal Soda Bread
I called this bread wholemeal soda bread since that is what
whole wheat flour
is called in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Here in the US, it’s known as whole wheat flour, of
course.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon white vinegar
About 1 2/3 cups milk
1 3/4 cups or 210g wholemeal (whole wheat in the US) flour
1 3/4 cups (218g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, cut in cubes
1 egg
Method
Preheat the oven to 425°F or 220°C and line a baking pan with baking parchment
or a silicone liner.
Put the tablespoon of white vinegar in your measuring cup then fill it to the
1 2/3 cup or 393ml milk. Set aside to sour.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and baking soda.
Add the butter in small cubes and rub it into the flour mixture with your
fingertips until it resembles bread crumbs.
Make a well in the center.
In another bowl, whisk the egg with the sour milk and pour most of the liquid
into the flour mixture.
Using one hand like a claw, bring the flour and liquid together gradually. I used my
Swedish whisk and I recommend you do too, if you have one. They sure make
mixing dough less messy.
Add more of the sour milk mixture, if necessary. The dough should be quite
soft, but not too sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and gently bring it together
into a round about 2 inches or 5cm thick. I used a floured scraper for the shaping. Transfer it to your prepared baking
pan.
Use a sharp knife or a lame to cut a deep cross on top. Chef Allen
calls this blessing the bread. Next poke a small hole in each quarter. These
are to allow the fairies to escape.
Bake for in the preheated oven 15 minutes then turn down the heat to
400°F or 200°C and bake for about 30 minutes more.
When it is done, the loaf will sound slightly hollow when tapped on the
bottom.
Remove from the baking pan and place on a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!
Check out all the other lovely brown breads my Bread Baker friends are sharing
today. Many thanks to our host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.
- Anadama Bread from Passion Kneaded
- Boston Brown Bread from Pastry Chef Online
- Brown Sandwich Bread from Anybody Can Bake
- Copy-Cat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Copy-Cat Outback Steakhouse Bread from Making Miracles
- Golden Braid of Bern from What Smells So Good
- Irish Brown Bread from Palatable Pastime
- Molasses Rye Slider Buns from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- No Knead Sprouted Wheat and Flax Seed Sandwich Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Sourdough Molasses and Honey Brown Bread from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
- Traditional Steamed Brown Bread from A Messy Kitchen
- Whole Wheat Rolls from Magical Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread from Ambrosia
- Wholemeal Soda Bread from Food Lust People Love
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
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