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Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Irish Brown Soda Bread
I love Irish breads: brown breads, Irish Soda breads, and scones. There’s something so simple and delicious about them. Some might say downright “plain.”
Recipe Notes
The last time I was in Ireland, I couldn’t get enough of the Irish Brown Soda Bread and found myself searching it out every chance I got.
If you’ve never had it, Irish brown bread is dense and crumbly, tender and nutty. It is delicious topped with salted butter, cheese or marmalade.
Irish brown soda bread is quick and easy; the ultimate quick bread. You can stir it together in less than 5 minutes with just a bowl and a spoon and the most basic of ingredients.
How Many Calories and WW Points in Irish Brown Soda Bread?
According to my calculations, each serving of this bread has about 91 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
3 SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
2 PointsPlus (Old plan)
A new favorite quick bread, this lightly sweetened Honey Raisin Rye Bread makes a delicious breakfast or mid-morning snack!
If you’ve made this Lighter Brown Soda Bread, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Irish Brown Soda Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cold butter
- 1-1/3 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Line a baking sheet (affiliate link) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, wheat germ baking soda and salt until well blended.
- Cut the butter into very small pieces and add to the flour mixture, Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until they are as small as possible.
- Add the buttermilk and stir to combine until the dough is damp all over.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured counter and gently shape into into a ball.
- Place the ball on your lined baking sheet (affiliate link) and flatten slightly. Use a serrated knife to cut a 1-inch deep cross in the top of the bread. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with a little flour.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf is firm to the touch on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Remove from the oven and place loaf on a wire rack to cool, wrapping a clean towel around so that the crust steams and softens and isn’t too hard.
- Cool for 2 hours before slicing and serving.
- Cut the loaf along the cross lines into four sections, then cut each section into 5 slices.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 3 SmartPoints (Green plan) 3 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 3 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 2 PointsPlus (Old plan) Next time, I’ll cut the “x” deeper and across the whole loaf. I’m also going to experiment with less butter and using an egg instead of the butter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This video shows how to make traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread:
If you like this Irish Brown Soda Bread recipe you might also like
- Pleasingly plain and wholesome, Irish Soda Bread reminds me of a giant biscuit but better because it is lower in fat.
- More like a biscuit than a muffin, I used a combination of chopped dried fruit bits to make these not-too-sweet Irish Soda Bread Muffins
- A modern version of soda bread, Darina’s Easy Whole Wheat Soda Bread mixes quickly and bakes for about an hour. It is the ultimate quick bread!
Favorite Irish Recipes with WW Freestyle SmartPoints for St. Patrick’s Day
Hi — I suspect maybe the taller loaves are the result of rolling the dough more tightly. This causes the center to rise upwards, rather than outwards, as the loaves bake. If you want taller loaves, try rolling as tightly as possible, given the challenge of the loose cheese. Personally, my loaves always come out not a lot flatter than the recipe photo, but a bit. I don”t worry about it, though, because they still look awesome and taste even better! PJH@KAF
THERE IS NO BUTTER LISTED IN THE INGREDIENTS! HOW MUCH BUTTER?
4 Tablespoons. You can definitely experiment with using less if you prefer.