Best Irish Wheat Bread Recipes

100% WHOLE WHEAT IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• In a big mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.
• Cut in butter until it reaches a coarse meal consistency. (I started with two knives, then finished the process with my fingers.).
• Add raisins.
• Combine liquids separately. Add liquids to dry ingredients.
• Mix until a soft dough forms. At some point it will become hard to stir it, and it will be better to use your hands. Kneading the dough is the best way to combine all the ingredients completely -- knead it gently until it is smooth (about 3 minutes). You can knead it right there in the mixing bowl.
• Shape the dough into two balls, and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball slightly and cut an X about 1/4" deep in the top of each loaf.
• Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

IRISH WHOLE WHEAT SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or an 8- or 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
• Sift whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together until well combined. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough that's firm enough to hold its shape.
• Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and velvety, 2 to 3 minutes. It will seem very crumbly for a while until everything gets incorporated.
• Form into a round loaf and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Cut a cross on the top of the loaf with a very sharp, floured knife. (The cross is a characteristic of soda bread.)
• Bake in the preheated oven until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when you tap on it, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

WHOLE WHEAT IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix milk and lemon.
• Combine dry ingredients.
• Add milk and lemon mixture (buttermilk may be used instead).
• On floured bread board (I use whole wheat) knead dough for no more than a minute.
• Shape dough into a circle with a height of about two inches.
• Place on lightly oiled baking sheet.
• With (sharp) floured knife, cut an x nearly halfway through the dough.
• Bake about 40 minutes in 400F degrees degree oven.
• Dough should sound hollow when tapped with knuckles or handle of spoon.
• Place loaf on wire rack and let rest at least an hour before slicing.

WHOLE WHEAT IRISH SODA BREAD WITH BULGUR

Steps:

• Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour on 1 cup boiling water, or enough to cover the bulgur by about 1/2 inch. Cover the bowl and allow the bulgur to sit for 30 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed and the grains are tender.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Place the flour in a large, wide bowl and sift in the baking soda and salt. Mix in with your hands or with a wide spatula. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Add the bulgur to the well, then mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl to the center using a wide rubber spatula, a wide wooden spoon or your hands, turning the bowl and sweeping the flour from the sides into the buttermilk. Mix until the bulgur and buttermilk have been incorporated into the flour, then scrape out onto a lightly floured work surface. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky. Flour your hands so it won't stick to them.
• Gently knead the dough, only enough to shape it into a ball, then with floured hands gently pat it down to a 2-inch high round, about 9 inches in diameter. Place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet and cut a 1/2-inch deep cross across the top.
• Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Turn down the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf responds with a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven, wrap loosely in a cloth or kitchen towel, and cool on a rack.

WHOLE WHEAT IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to distribute the soda and baking powder, then add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough, similar in quality to biscuit dough but firm enough to hold its shape. Knead on a lightly floured board, for 2 to 3 minutes, until quite smooth and velvety. Form into a round loaf and place in a greased 8-inch cake pan or on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Cut a cross on the top of the loaf with a very sharp floured knife. Bake in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until loaf is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped. (The cross will have spread open, which is characteristic of soda bread.) Let the loaf cool before slicing very thin, soda bread must never be cut thick. Makes 1 (8-inch) loaf. Variation: For white soda bread, use 4 cups all-purpose flour, preferably unbleached, and the same amounts of salt and baking powder called for in the master recipe, but decrease the baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon. Otherwise, the bread is prepared in exactly the same way as in the master recipe.

IRISH WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease two 8-inch-diameter cake pans. Stir first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Stir in currants. Whisk buttermilk, butter and egg in small bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Knead mixture briefly in bowl until dough comes together. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape each into round loaf. Transfer to prepared pans. Using sharp knife, cut an x on surface of each loaf, cutting about 1/2 inch deep. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Turn out loaves onto racks; cool.(Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic; store at room temperature.)