Irish Brown Bread Recipe – No Yeast Required

Irish brown bread is an irresistible staple food item in many homes and restaurants across Ireland. This easy to make homemade bread recipe requires just a few ingredients and it doesn’t contain any yeast.

In Ireland, it is a staple food item at nearly every meal. From slathering a slice with butter or jam at breakfast to using the bread to soak up the flavors of soups and stews for lunch and dinner you can always find a loaf at the table.

Whether you make it in a loaf pan or in a round or oval shape you will quickly notice once you take a slice that the bread has a slightly denser texture than traditional white bread.

The iconic texture and the brown color of the bread comes from wholemeal flour. Although many families have their own recipes for making this type of bread it most often includes the additional ingredients of wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk.

The Difference Between Irish Brown Bread and Irish Soda Bread

Irish Brown Bread and Irish Soda Bread are both traditional breads in Irish cuisine. However, there is a difference between the two types of bread in terms of their ingredients, texture, and flavor.

As mentioned above Irish Brown Bread includes a combination of wholemeal flour, wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. Because there is no yeast, this quick bread recipe relies on the buttermilk to react with the baking soda to make it rise.

The flavor of brown bread is slightly sweet with a nutty flavor. And it has a slightly denser texture than white bread.

On the other hand, Irish soda bread is a quick bread that is made with white flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. It has a slightly sweet flavor and a texture that is lighter than brown bread yet denser and crumblier than traditional yeast bread.

Other ingredients can be added to Irish soda bread such as raisins, caraway seeds and even chocolate chips. However, brown bread is usually made without any additional ingredients or flavors.

Both types of bread are often made into a round shape with a cross cut in the top before they are baked. Although Irish Brown Bread once was more popular due to the lower cost of wholemeal flour, both breads are equally popular today and are commonly found on tables across Ireland at breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Wholemeal vs. Whole Wheat Flour

So what exactly is wholemeal flour and how does it differ from whole wheat flour? Both are made from the entire wheat kernel, including the bran, germ, and endosperm.

However, the terms to identify the difference between the two generally depends on the geographical location where they are used. For instance, in the United Kingdom, wholemeal flour is typically used to describe flour made from the whole wheat kernel, while in the United States, this type of flour is most commonly referred to as whole wheat flour.

However, wholemeal flour can also be used to refer to flour that is made from hard wheat varieties. The hard wheat berries have a higher protein and higher gluten content that is ideal for making Irish Brown Bread.

Whole wheat also refers to flour from soft wheat varieties. Soft wheat contains lower protein and gluten content. It can be used to make bread, but it is the definite flour of choice when baking pastries and cakes.

Both wholemeal and whole wheat flour are healthier options than refined white flour because they contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Because the entire grain is used, the flour requires less processing and therefore retains more nutrients.

However, due to taste preferences and availability of products this recipe uses a combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. Although if you want to use all wheat flour you can definitely do so.

Irish Brown Bread Recipe

*Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to keep reading for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
• 2 cups buttermilk

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 450°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

Start making the dough. In a large mixing bowl sift together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar.

It is important when measuring flour that you don’t scoop a measuring cup in the flour. Instead, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and then level the top with the side of a knife.

For this recipe, it is also important to sift the ingredients so that the final texture will not be completely dense. Do this by placing the ingredients in a sifter or a mesh colander and shake the ingredients until they fall through into the mixing bowl.

Once the dry ingredients are in the bowl make a well in the center and slowly pour in the buttermilk. Use a fork or your hands to fold in the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until a sticky dough forms.

If the dough seems too dry, add a splash or two more of buttermilk. Do not mix the dough with an electric mixer as the dough will come out tough and dense.

Transfer the bread dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it about 4-5 times until it becomes smooth. Then shape the dough into a round or oval shape about 8 inches long on the prepared baking sheet.

Using a sharp knife, score the top of the Irish Brown Bread loaf in several spots or in a cross pattern about 1/4″ deep.

Bake Time Required

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 400°F (220°C) and bake for 15-20 more minutes.

The amount of time that it takes the bread to cook through will depend on how thick the bread dough was before it went into the oven. The bread is done cooking when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack to completely cool before slicing.

Enjoy!

Other Popular Irish or Irish-American Inspired Recipes To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

If you are looking for other delicious Irish or Irish-American recipes I have my favorites listed below.

• Irish Soda Bread
• Crock Pot Irish Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Irish Beef Stew
• Irish Beef Stew Without Wine
• Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Fried Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Irish Shepherd’s Pie For Two
• Irish Boxty (Potato Pancakes)
• Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes)
• Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake
• Guinness Cupcakes
• Irish Coffee

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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