This bread is a staple in Ireland and one you should try. Bake a loaf of Irish Brown Bread to enjoy with afternoon tea, with hot soup, or buttered for breakfast.
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On our trip to Ireland, my family and I discovered traditional Irish Brown Bread. Everywhere we stopped we found slices and loaves, and we quickly fell in love with this hearty, brown soda bread.
Once we were back home, we really missed those rustic slices. We'd grown accustomed to having a slice with afternoon coffee, with big Irish breakfasts, and for dunking in soup.
I wasted no time in creating my own homemade Irish Brown Bread recipe so my family and I can treat ourselves to slices any morning.
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What is Irish Brown Bread?
In my Delectable Destinations posts about our trip to Ireland, I share that we enjoyed Irish Brown Bread everywhere: in cafés, restaurants, and with breakfasts at our B&Bs.
But the first time we saw it listed on a menu, we weren't sure what that was—just a kind of wheat bread? Something similar to Boston brown bread?
In fact, Irish Brown Bread is a type of soda bread, with no yeast at all. It's made with coarse, whole-grain wheat flour that gives loaves their color and the nutty, toasty flavor.
The Irish brown bread flour I use is Odlum's Coarse Wholemeal, and you can order it here.
Unlike Boston brown bread, Irish brown soda bread has no molasses, treacle, cornmeal, or rye flour, so the flavor is much different, and the texture is lighter as well.
Irish Brown Bread vs. Irish Soda Bread
White Irish soda bread, like my Great-Great Aunt Lizzie Reilly's recipe, is studded with raisins and often caraway seed as well. It also goes by the name Spotted Dog. This loaf gets a lot of attention around St. Patrick's Day!
Though Irish brown bread is also a soda bread, it's a much different loaf. The deep color and nutty flavor come from wholemeal flour: a coarse-textured wheat flour with visible specks of bran. It's not as finely ground as standard whole wheat flour.
What both white and brown soda breads have in common is that they're leavened with baking soda and baking powder. They work with the acidic buttermilk to help the bread rise.
We never found raisins in Irish brown bread, but we did discover that each home cook had their own favorite add-ins, like oats, wheat germ, seeds, and nuts.
Irish brown bread history
For the working class and poor in Ireland in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, soda breads were an inexpensive and nutritious food that households could rely upon to help feed their families. The simplest of soda breads contained only flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, and buttermilk.
The type of wheat grown in Ireland at this time, a soft wheat with low protein content, was also a factor in the reliance upon soda bread. Breads made with this type of wheat flour don't rise well with yeast, but work very well with baking soda as a leavener.
Coarse and less refined wheat flours were the most affordable and were used to make brown soda breads like this recipe.
You can find it all over Ireland
If you're planning a trip to Ireland, I'm certain that, like us, you'll be able to enjoy Irish Brown Bread everywhere you go.
We had it with tea at E.J. King's Restaurant in Clifden, and with our breakfast at the Rossmore Manor B&B in Donegal.
The bread was also on the breakfast table at Murphy's Farmhouse B&B in Castlemaine. Before we took the long walk to Dún Aonghasa Fort we had brown bread and soup at Tigh Nan Phaidi Café on Inishmore.
The slices we enjoyed were cut from small, soft homemade loaves, and they were fragrant with a rustic texture.
It's no wonder that, once back home, we really missed this Irish bread!
Why you'll love this recipe, too
Trust me: you'll quickly fall in love with this delicious, hearty, and homey bread. The best thing about having a loaf of Irish Brown Bread on your counter is that it's a natural accompaniment with literally every meal.
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This moist Irish brown bread is so easy to pull together—probably why so many Irish kitchens bake a loaf up fresh every day. Just blend your dry ingredients, then pull everything together with a splash of buttermilk.
I like to bake my Irish Brown Bread in a cast-iron Dutch oven because it gives it a taller, rounder shape. You can also just bake it on a flat baking sheet.
In her book "Irish Traditional Cooking" the famous co-founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, Darina Allen, says it's traditional, and important, to slash your dough across the top as well as to poke holes in each corner of the dough. This "lets the fairies out" during baking!
Don't forget to slather the baked slices with butter, Irish butter preferably!
🔪 How to make Irish Brown Bread
Brown Bread Ingredients:
- Coarse Wholemeal Flour: The brand I order online is Odlums
- All-Purpose Flour: Blended with the wholemeal, it helps the texture of the bread
- Sugar: Just enough for a mild sweetness that enhances the nutty, wheat flavor
- Baking Soda: That's why this is a soda bread!
- Baking Powder: Working together with the soda to leaven this bread without the need for yeast.
- Salt: Just a pinch for flavor
- Buttermilk: It makes the brown bread moist and adds flavor
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients
Stir together the two flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add in the buttermilk
Add most of the buttermilk and stir it into the dry mixture. Add more buttermilk as needed.
Step 3: Give it a very quick knead
Give the dough a few quick kneads to just pull it together.
Step 4: Shape and slash
Shape it into a ball and place it in the pot or on the baking sheet. Slash the top of the dough and poke a hole in each corner to let the fairies out.
Step 5: Bake
Bake the bread for a total of about 55 minutes, reducing the heat after 10 minutes. Let the loaf cool, then slice it up. It's delicious when slathered with butter or blackberry jam.
FAQs
Plan to eat this bread within 3-4 days of baking for the best flavor and texture.
Seal it inside a plastic bread bag and keep it at room temperature.
While the sugar included here only makes the bead very mildly sweet, the answer is yes: you can absolutely reduce or skip the sugar altogether if you prefer.
Tips:
- Get authentic Irish wholemeal flour like Odlums brand online, or if you're coming home from Ireland bring some with you. Another option is King Arthur Flour's Irish Style Flour. Get it seasonally on their website or at the Baking Store in Norwich, VT.
- This recipe uses a combination of wholemeal and white flours, for a loaf that's soft with great texture and a good rise.
- I baked my bread in a round enameled Dutch oven, which keeps the loaf compact and nicely shaped. You can also bake the loaf on a baking sheet if you'd prefer.
The best Irish Brown Bread is hearty, simple, and flavorful, especially when spread thickly with fresh butter or with blackberry jam.
It's perfect with breakfast, as a mid-afternoon snack or to whet the appetite for dinner.
The recipe for my Irish Brown Bread with buttermilk is below! And here are more recipes inspired by travels to Ireland:
💬 How do you like this brown bread? Leave a comment below. Sláinte!
📖 Recipe
Irish Brown Bread Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 cups Irish Style (wholemeal) flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 4½ tablespoons granulated sugar (see note below)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Have ready an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven or a baking sheet. Line the pot or the baking sheet with parchment paper. Have a floured surface ready to quickly knead the dough, and a bench scraper if you have one.
Make the dough:
- Stir together in a large bowl the Irish wholemeal flour, all-purpose flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour in most of the buttermilk and stir it into the dry ingredients. If the mixture still seems very dry, stir in the rest of the buttermilk.
- Turn out the contents of the bowl onto the floured surface—the dough will still have some dry flour visible.
- Give the dough just a few quick squeezes to pull it together. (You don't want to over-knead this bread as it will make it tough once baked.)
- Quickly shape it into a ball and place the dough into the lined pot or on the baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to slash a cross in the top of the dough, and poke a hole in each corner of the dough (to let the fairies out!)
Bake:
- Place the pot or baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375° F and bake the bread for another 40-45 minutes. The bread should be risen and browned, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Remove the bread to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing it.
- Serve slices of the bread with butter and jam. Tightly wrap leftover bread and use it within 2-3 days.
Other ways to bake:
- You can also bake the bread as a freeform loaf on a baking sheet, instead of in a Dutch oven.
- To make Brown Bread in a loaf pan, grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Shape the dough into an oblong shape and add it to the pan—slash it and poke holes for the fairies to get out. Bake the bread as directed above.
Notes
A Note on the Sugar
My Irish Brown Bread recipe is made with 4-½ tablespoons of sugar, for a very light sweetness that nicely complements the wheat flavor. If you prefer, you can reduce the amount of sugar used or even omit it.Tips:
- Get Irish wholemeal flour like Odlums online. Another option is King Arthur Baking Company's Irish Style Flour - get it online or at the Baking Store in Norwich, VT.
- This recipe uses a combination of wholemeal and white flour.
Nutrition
Lisa Andree
Hi! I've bookmarked this recipe while waiting for my flour to arrive. After spending a month in Ireland-we're hooked on this delicious staple and of course, Irish butter. This recipe and the photos certainly appear to be the authentic version! Do you have tips for baking this recipe in a loaf pan? If so, please share.
Thanks so much!
Nancy Mock
Hi Lisa! I know exactly what you mean—once you get back home you really miss that Brown Bread. I'm excited for you to give this recipe a try. You can absolutely bake it in a loaf pan (that's how my mom does it, too.) Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan and shape the dough into an oblong form to fit inside. Slash it, poke holes for the fairies, and bake as directed in the recipe. I added these notes to the recipe card, too. Happy baking and please let me know how it turns out!
Nancy Lawlor
Hi,I am making this bread for an elderly Irish priest. I left out the sugar entirely and added 1 tablespoon of molasses to the buttermilk. The first loaf he said was too sweet for his taste. Haha. We’ll see if himself likes this one ! I get a kick out of his bluntness.I have a question about how to store my newly opened , expensive Irish flour. Can I separate it into 2 cups each in plastic bags & freeze it? How long does it keep? Thank you . Lovely web site! I’ll be back for other recipes.
Nancy Mock
Hi Nancy (great name!) How kind of you to make Brown Bread for your friend—twice! Yes, I guess some folks are just more sensitive to the light sweetness, but the good news is that the bread is still delicious when made with less sugar. I do hope he likes it!
To answer your question, yes I think it's fine to divide your flour into two-cup portions to store in the freezer. If it were me I would probably double bag them, or put the portioned bags inside an airtight container, to protect the flour from picking up any off flavors. Your wholemeal flour will last for up to a year when stored in the freezer.
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for your lovely feedback! ♥ Nancy
Coleen
My husband and I absolutely love this recipe exactly. But now that he is diabetic, I might try it without the sugar. My question is can we omit the white flour, and just use 4 cups of Odlum's coarse wholemeal flour?
Nancy Mock
Hi Coleen, I'm so happy to hear that you and your husband are fans of this bread! This is a great question, and after seeing it I baked a test loaf using all coarse wholemeal flour. The loaf came out great—it's a little more dense than the one made with both coarse wholemeal and all purpose, but it's still delicious. You can feel free to use all coarse wholemeal, or you can also try using less (for example, 3 cups wholemeal and 1 cup all purpose) to find the ratio you like best. And you are fine to omit the sugar if you'd like. Let me know how it goes, and happy baking!
Coleen
Hi Nancy. I just now saw your reply after putting another loaf of the original recipe into the oven. So excited that you did a test loaf. I can't wait to try it with all course wholemeal flour next time! If we love it, we can have it so much more often. And like you said if I'm not thrilled, I could try the 3 cups to one cup ratio. Thank you so much.
Nancy Mock
You're very welcome!
Ainé
This bread is so good. I subbed 1-2/3 C Bob's stone ground WW and 1/3 C Bran for the Odlums and molasses for the sugar.
Thank you for the recipe!
Nancy Mock
Hi Ainé! Oh this is wonderful to hear, I'm so happy that you like the recipe. Thanks for trying it and enjoy your brown bread — I'm making a loaf soon, too!
Brenda
Thank you for this recipe, it did remind me of the brown bread I ate in Ireland.
I used half King Arthur Irish style flour and half Bob’s Mill whole wheat.
My only changes were from another rustic no-knead whole wheat bread recipe I use:
I added a tablespoon of oil.
And I put the lid on the Dutch oven for cooking- I read that helps generate the steam to create a thick chewy crust.
Like many others, I decreased the sugar to 1 tablespoon.
It was a lovely bread, and thank you!
Nancy Mock
Hi Brenda, I'm so happy you enjoyed my recipe for Brown Bread. Thanks for those suggestions as well. If you have time, I'd love to hear where you traveled in Ireland!
Brenda
Hi Nancy,
A gf and I hiked part of the Kerry Way in late July-early Aug this year.
We also spent a few days in Killarney, an afternoon at the Waterford factory, and a day in Dublin. What a beautiful country!
I can’t figure out how to add a picture, or I would. Thank you!
Nancy Mock
That sounds wonderful! We didn't get to see Kerry Way or Killarney, but maybe on our next trip. We did have a fun day in Dublin, which I wrote about in another post that includes a recipe for Potato Soup: https://hungryenoughtoeatsix.com/dublin-ireland-and-a-recipe-for-creamy-potato-soup-my-latest-delectable-destination/ It is a very beautiful country, and the people there are lovely.
Kathleen
This recipe is the best! I’ve wandered to others for a comparison and keep coming back to yours. I’m surprised at the responses for it being too sweet. I have it with just a little Kerrygold butter and it’s delicious! My family is from Galway (Connemara) and it’s very close to what we have in that region of Ireland. On a few occasions I’ve lowered the sugar to 2 tbl and add 1 tbl of Lyle’s Golden Syrup (purchased at Cost Plus World Market) and it’s the right amount of sweetness for me, and I don’t have a sweet tooth at all. Adjust the recipe to your liking and enjoy. I just made a loaf now 🙂
Nancy Mock
Kathleen, this is fantastic to hear! Like you, I find the sweetness in this bread to be mild, just enough to work with the hearty and nutty flavor of the whole wheat. I'll try it sometime with a bit of Lyle's syrup blended in. Thank you so much for making my Brown Bread recipe and sharing this feedback with me and our other readers! I hope you have the best day ever. 🙂
Heather
I have just made this receipe to the exact measurements and wonder if the 4.5 tablespoons of sugar was a typo. The texture, moisture etc of my bread was perfect but unfortunately horrendously sweet to the point it was like eating very sugary cake. I will try this again but with one tablespoons of sugar. I grew up in Ireland and the bread is definitely not this sweet. I think with much less sugar it will be perfect.
Nancy Mock
Hi Heather! I appreciate you trying my recipe and letting me know this. Although I do know that many brown bread recipes contain no sugar I found the loaf to have a nice, light sweetness with this amount, one that pairs well with the wheaty flavors. My readers seem divided with many liking it sweetened and many cutting the sugar back. The recipe should work just fine with the sugar reduced or eliminated, and I do hope that you'll try it again soon! Happy baking to you.
Nancy Mock
Oh also, where did you live in Ireland?
Gerardine
Unfortunately way too much sugar. Traditional brown soda isn't sweet. You may add a little sugar but it shouldn't overpower the taste.
Nancy Mock
Hi Gerardine, were you able to make my brown bread recipe and sample it?
Aiden Nicholson
Followed the recipe exactly after ordering Odlum’s flour through http://www.FoodIreland.com (my typical source for Irish goods, including baked brown bread, tea, puddings and rashers), but found the dough very dry. I had to add more buttermilk just to be able to knead it all together which still felt really dry… but overall it came out okay. The outside was crunchier than I anticipated, but it was good for a first attempt.
Oh, and I only used 2TBSP sugar since I like traditional brown bread and was nervous about it being too sweet.
Nancy Mock
Hi Aiden, Thanks for this feedback, I'm glad you were happy with the loaf in the end. That was a good call to add a bit more buttermilk to help pull your dough together. I hope you will make it again since you have all that Odlums on hand! Thank you again, -N
Coleen
With regard to the crust being crunchier than expected, I learned a tip from my granny in Ireland. Always put a clean damp tea towel around the bread when it comes out of the oven and let it cool. This keeps the crust from crumbling when you slice it.
Nancy Mock
Coleen, that's a great suggestion! I hadn't heard that tip before, I'll try it on my next loaf. Thank you!
Sandra
So easy to make and nice and light. Will definitely make again but will use less sugar. I didn’t have buttermilk so added some lime juice and it worked a treat.
Nancy Mock
Hi Sandra, I'm so happy you liked my Brown Bread! Yes, sometimes I take that shortcut too, and use regular milk with a little lemon juice if there's no buttermilk on hand. Thank you for sharing this, and I'm very happy that it's a recipe you'll come back to!
Pamela Clifton
I just returned from my first trip in Ireland...I was in Galway, Kinvara, and Connemara. I would buy a ticket back just to go have the brown bread. I have been searching for the best brown bread recipe since my return. Yours looks like the best so far...I will use Molasses instead of sugar. My question is about altitude. In Denver we are at 5280 ft and I am wondering if you have any suggestions about changes to the recipe at this altitude. I ordered the King Arthurs Irish Style...
Nancy Mock
Hi Pamela, I completely agree that it would be worth the price of airfare to be back in the land of brown bread! We are hoping to travel to Ireland again next year, and Galway is one place I would love to spend time exploring. That's a great question about adjusting my recipe for high altitude. I found this chart from King Arthur Flour that I hope will help: it shows how to adjust the liquid, leaveners, and bake time for your altitude, and notes at the bottom that the conversions should work well for quick breads like this Brown Bread. Here is the link: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking Please let me know how the bread turns out for you. Sláinte!
Rachel Ridge Feuerbachrbach
Well I tried the molasses and 3 C. white to 1 C. ww flour, and it was tasty. Today I've just done one with 2 T. sugar and half and half white and ww. This time I changed it by adding 2 full cups of buttermilk, some rough cracked whole grain hot cereal, rounded cupfuls of flour to make a bigger loaf, and baked it it in a loaf pan because I like a taller loaf. It came out beautiful - raised nice and tall and quite delicious. It's still a bit sweet so I'll try one more time with 1 T. sugar. Hopefully that will do the trick and I can keep on making it like that!
Nancy Mock
Sounds amazing!!
Ber
Looks like a good recipe! Here in Cork eggs and butter snd enough buttermilk are often added to make quite a wet bread which is baked in a tin ad it’s so sloppy. Makes a very moist brown bread (or brown cake as some call it). I find too that if I use sour milk rather than buttermilk the texture of my bread is lighter though it might not always be possible to get. Using ordinary milk doesn’t result in a great bread.
Nancy Mock
Hi Bernadette, how interesting! I haven’t seen a brown bread recipe with eggs before. With the eggs and the wet texture it sounds similar to a banana bread batter. It bet it’s delicious. I agree, we never have sour milk and I love the flavor/moisture from buttermilk. Thank you so much for sharing this - I’ll have to try the Cork version of brown bread soon!
Bernadette
Here’s a recipe I got from a n older neighbour. The mug is more or less equivalent to three quarters of an American cup: 2 mugs fine brown flour, 1 mug coarse brown flour (you can substitute other flours and make one mug white for lighter bread), half mug ground up nuts or seeds or oats or bran or combination, quarter mug melted butter or oil, 2 eggs, about 2 mugs buttermilk. Mix all above. Then add quarter mug hot water mixed with 2 tsp bread soda (baking soda). Put in greased loaf tin or dish and bake at 180 Celsius till a skewer inserted comes out dry (could be up to an hour)
Nancy Mock
Bernadette, you are so generous to share this with me - thank you! I think I have just enough Odlums coarse flour left, so I can’t wait to try this version.
One of the best things about sharing my Brown Bread is all the folks I’ve heard from here who’ve shared their own brown bread stories and favorite recipes. ❤️ Thanks again - I’ll let you know how it turns out! -N
Anonymous
I also have traditional recipes for brown scones if you’re interested!
Nancy Mock
Oh my gosh, I would love that! Thank you!
Jill
I haven't made this bread yet although it sounds delicious! I wanted to ask a question please : Is it necessary to add so much sugar? 4 tbls is an awful lot and I hate sweet bread. Do you think I could lower it without spoiling it? Sorry to be a pain! Thanks. x
Nancy Mock
Hi Jill! I think it's fine if you'd like to cut the sugar amount down. I will say that this bread doesn't have the sweet taste that you think of with sweet breads like brioche, Portuguese sweet bread, or even Hawaiian sweet rolls. I find that it's a nice level of subtle sweetness that complements the wheatiness of the loaf. But yes, I think you can reduce the sugar without negatively affecting how the brown bread will turn out. I hope you get to bake a loaf soon, and let me know how it goes! Thanks, Nancy
Rachel Ridge Feuerbach
Hi Nancy,
I. So glad I found your recipe! It's my go-to recipe for brown bread now. I've tried it several ways, with more and less sugar, molasses, and changing the ratio of whole wheat to white flour. I also put a bit more baking powder and soda. I've liked them all but the full amount of sugar does seem to be too sweet. I've just done one with 1 T. molasses and 1 cup WW to 3 cups white flour. I'll let you know what it tastes like soon. 😉
Nancy Mock
Hi Rachel! I love that you've been experimenting with the recipe, and very happy to hear that it has become your go-to recipe. Yes, I'd love to hear back when you try it with just molasses. Thank you so much, it's wonderful to hear from you!
Marita
Really good and easy. We enjoyed it last night with some traditional British cheeses.
I probably should have kneaded it a bit more as I saw some points of of un-mixed flour, but not really critical.
I used wheat germ flour from Holland and Barrett as the Irish Style flour because I could not find the brand Odlums here in Kent, UK
Nancy Mock
Hi Marita, That's a great tip about the flour. I have heard from other readers that they've substituted a blend of whole wheat flour and wheat germ when they couldn't find Irish wholemeal. I'm happy that you liked it! What kind of cheeses did you pair with it? (I think that sounds like a great idea.) Thank you again for trying my Brown Bread!
Nora Bohl
I havent tried it yet, it seems lovely but what measurement do you mean please by a 'cup',
how many grams und and mililitres?
Thank you
Nancy Mock
Hi Nora! One cup is the equivalent of 120-125 grams. If you look at my recipe card, there is a tab for "Metric" - click on this and all of the measurements will be converted to grams and milliliters. I hope this helps - let me know how this Brown Bread turns out for you. Thanks!
Ellen
When you bake it in the Dutch oven, do you uncover it towards the end of baking?
Nancy Mock
Hi Ellen, I actually don't cover it at all during baking. I hope this helps!