Irish Brown Bread Recipe {Guinness Bread} | Happy Money Saver (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Irish soda bread and Irish brown bread? ›

If you really want to get technical, brown bread is a form of soda bread since it uses baking soda as the leavening agent. However, the two loaves differ pretty significantly from there. Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour.

In Ireland, brown bread is as common as a pint of Guinness. Most versions are made with Irish beer, too! The bread became popular many years ago due, in part, to the low cost of wheat flour. Back then, white flour was more expensive.

Tightly wrap your leftover bread and place it in an airtight container. There's no need to refrigerate. As for how long soda bread lasts: Irish soda bread tends to dry out faster than other breads. The bread will be good for 3-4 days or up to three months if frozen.

It's important to remember no to overmix your ingredients. Irish Soda Bread is a dense bread, similar to a scone, but can easily become dry if overmixed. Quickly add the wet ingredients to a well you've made in the dry ingredients, and mix with your hands or a dough hook until it just comes together.

Irish soda bread was first created in the 1830s, when baking soda was first introduced to the UK. At the time, Ireland was facing financial hardship and lack of resources, so they turned to soda bread out of neccessity, it was inexpensive and required few ingredients.

It is actually Irish wheaten or “Brown Bread” that is the most popular and arguably the most delicious type of traditional Irish bread that exists. It's so common that you'll find brown bread in almost every home on the island and it's so versatile that it's offered with a range of menu items.

Brown bread, also known as whole wheat bread, is typically made from whole grains, which contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than the refined grains used to make white bread. Whole grains have been linked to lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

Made with whole wheat flour, it fits the bill when it comes to healthy and wholesome. (Irish Soda Bread is typically made with white all-purpose flour and while it certainly is good, it's not quite as good for you as the whole grain bread.)

Why does wheat bread cost more than white? White bread is made from refined wheat flour. During the refining process, bran and germ are removed. Most of the nutrition in grains, apart from the starch, is in the bran and germ.

And finally, don't immediately cut into the Fast Irish Soda bread when you pull it out of the oven. Although this bread is best served warm, cutting into it too quickly will turn the bread gummy.

How can you tell when Irish soda bread is done? ›

The most traditional doneness test calls for thumping the hot bread in the center to hear if it's hollow-sounding. A more foolproof indication is temperature; the loaf will register 200°F to 205°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted in the center of the bread. Let the bread cool.

Reasons for an improperly leavened loaf include: You used too little sodium bicarbonate. This translates into too little CO2. Your baking soda was too old.

Chances are good that the bread you ate suffered from one of three common problems: improper amount of baking soda (a gross, salty-bitter taste), over cooking (a dry, chalky texture), or undercooking (a soggy, doughy center).

The best Irish soda bread, like this recipe, has a golden brown crust with a dense, tight crumb. The bread isn't heavy, it's actually quite tender and soft inside. The crust is nice and crisp when it comes out of the oven and becomes a little chewy on day 2 and 3.

Soda bread is quick to prepare and is a low-fat, yeast-free option. It may help alleviate symptoms of bloating and discomfort.

In Ireland, they sometimes make it with varying proportions of whole wheat flour, creating what they often refer to as brown bread. As for the leavening, the acid in the buttermilk reacts with the soda to create carbon dioxide.

Irish soda bread has a couple of other names, too: When we attended a class at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, they made this loaf and called it a Spotted Dog. It's also called white soda bread, American Irish soda bread, or fruit soda bread.

Sourdough is a healthier alternative to regular white or whole wheat bread. Although it has comparable nutrients, the lower phytate levels mean it is more digestible and nutritious. The prebiotics also help to keep your gut bacteria happy, and it may be less likely to spike blood sugar levels.