Pub-Style Irish Brown Bread
There is something about a warm slice of traditional Irish brown bread that just gets me warm and fuzzy. White soda bread is king and always a crowd favorite. However, when we are in Ireland, for me, brown bread is where it’s at. This simple quick bread is easy to whip up, a little bit nutty, and tastes delicious. Serve a warm slice with lashings of cold, Irish butter for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
This is some of the best bread I’ve ever had. Tastes just like what you get in Ireland.
-JULIE B
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Looking for more Irish recipes? Here’s my collection of Irish recipes perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration
So, what is Irish brown bread?
Essentially, it’s a type of soda bread made with buttermilk and wholemeal flour instead of white flour. It’s yeast-free, super easy to whip up, and no mixer required! It doesn’t get any easier than a loaf of brown bread.
Brown bread has me thinking about blistery days, sitting by the fire in a cozy pub on the west Irish coast. Always hunkered around a bowl of seafood chowder, a slice of brown bread, and a good smear of butter. You could say that I’ve done more than a little research on this over the years!
Why does Irish brown bread taste so different?
The biggest difference between Irish brown bread and many other soda breads comes down to the flour. Traditional Irish wholemeal flour is much coarser than Australian or American wholemeal flour, giving the bread its signature hearty texture and nutty flavour. It’s not a soft sandwich bread. It’s rustic, a little crumbly, and absolutely perfect eaten warm with salted Irish butter.
In Ireland, many pubs and bakeries use stone-ground wholemeal flour like Odlums, which creates that rustic loaf so many people fall in love with on their travels.
Here’s what you need to get started
- Plain, all-purpose flour. Don’t bother with bread flour for this recipe; it won’t make any difference to the end result. Plain, white flour will do the job.
- Wholemeal / Whole Wheat Flour. So here’s the secret to a good loaf of Irish brown bread. Irish wholemeal flour is what makes it SO DAMN GOOD. It’s so much coarser than Australian wholemeal flour, and when used for baking, it has a slightly nutty flavor profile. Odlum’s Wholemeal flour is my go-to flour for Irish brown bread. In Australia, it’s available in selected supermarkets and from Irish food suppliers.
If you can get your hands on Irish wholemeal flour, use it. It has a much coarser texture than standard wholemeal flour and gives the bread a more authentic pub-style finish. Can’t find it? Use the coarsest wholemeal flour available and avoid overly fine whole wheat flours where possible. - Sea salt flakes. If you are using a fine salt, half the amount in the recipe.
- Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda). The combination of bicarb soda and buttermilk makes this hearty Irish brown bread rise.
- Runny Honey
- Buttermilk – if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, don’t stress. It’s so easy to make from scratch for this recipe. In a measuring jug or small bowl, combine 1 cup of regular whole milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Leave for a couple of minutes until it curdles. Now you’ve got buttermilk ready to use!
Variations
Like a soda bread recipe, you can easily make additions like a tablespoon or two of nuts or seeds to this Irish brown bread recipe without affecting the ratios too much. I sometimes add a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds to the mix or a scatter of rolled oats on top of the dough before it hits the oven.
I also really like the density of this recipe. It’s rustic, and I love it. To lighten things up a little, try 150g of wholemeal flour and 300g plain flour instead.
Equipment
Only the simple stuff is needed for this one. A large mixing bowl, measuring tools, a wooden spoon, whisk, a butter knife, and a loaf tin are all you need. My loaf tin measures 23 x 13cm.
The nitty gritty
- Preheat the oven.
- Combine all the dry ingredients.
- In a jug, combine the buttermilk and honey.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix into a dough. Don’t overmix the dough. Irish soda breads are meant to be rustic — overworking the dough can make the loaf tough and dense.
- Place the dough into the greased loaf pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked through.
- Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Cooks notes
I don’t line my bread tins with parchment paper for bread making. If you have a good quality, non-stick loaf pan I have never found that I need to line them with parchment paper when making bread loaves.
This is quite a wet loaf, and I sometimes find that the amount of humidity can affect how much buttermilk is required. You can always add a tablespoon or two extra of buttermilk if you think that the dough is too dry.
Can I cook this as a freeform loaf?
If you would prefer a freeform loaf as opposed to a bread tin-shaped loaf, here’s how. Firstly, you need to reduce the amount of liquid ingredients as this recipe is meant for a bread tin. Use 360ml of buttermilk instead of 400ml. Check out this traditional Irish soda bread recipe on how to make a freeform loaf. Follow from step 4, to mix your dough and then turn it onto a floured surface, shaping, scoring with a deep cross, and then popping it in a Dutch oven and baking.
How to eat brown bread
Smothered in Irish butter and alongside a bowl of soup or seafood chowder is how you’ll find Irish brown bread in pubs scattered across Ireland.
Don’t save this one for St Patrick’s Day, it’s an easy quick bread that can be whipped up on weekends to go on a good Sunday morning full Irish breakfast alongside bacon, eggs, and all the good breakfast bits!
Alongside your favorite stew. This Irish stew always loves to be soaked up with a slice of bread. The same goes for this sweet potato and lentil soup.
Toast a slice and smear it with honey or your best homemade jam, like this triple berry jam.
Storage
This brown bread recipe is best eaten warm, just out of the oven on the day that it’s made. While it can definitely be eaten the next day, it’s not nearly as fresh. I find toasting it brings it back to life and makes it edible for the next few days – that’s if a loaf lasts that long! To store, keep in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap at room temperature.
FAQ’s
Love bread and dough recipes? Here, try these ones…
- Irish Soda Farls
- Easy Buttermilk Scones
- Irish bacon and cheddar soda bread
- Bacon and cheese skillet rolls
- Quick and Easy Porridge Bread
Happy bread baking!
x
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Cast Iron Cooking 101
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In this guide, I’ll share the techniques, habits, and everyday recipes that helped me fall in love with slow cooking – from baking bread to slow cooking tender roasts and creating comforting meals at home with confidence.
Irish Brown Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
This Irish Brown bread recipe has me thinking about blistery coastal days perched by a fire, a pot of seafood chowder, & brown bread smothered with butter.
Ingredients
- 250g plain flour
- 200g coarse wholemeal flour
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 400ml buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Grease a loaf pan and pop aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Using a whisk, give them a god mix to break up any lumps and aerate the ingredients.
- In a measuring cup / jug, combine the buttermilk and honey. Using a fork, give it a quick mix.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the bowl. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix all the ingredients together until they are just combined, but no more. It should be a wet and sticky dough, unlike a tradtional bread dough.
- Place the dough into the greased loaf pan. Using a spoon dunked in water, smooth out the top of the loaf. With a sharp knife, make a cut on the top of the dough down the center of the loaf.
- Pop the loaf into the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked through and golden on top.
- Remove the dough from the loaf pan and turn out onto a wire rack to let the bread cool. You can tell when a loaf of fresh bread is cooked when you tap on the base and get a hollow sound.
Notes
I don’t line my bread tins for bread making. If you have a good quality, non-stick loaf pan I have never found that I need to line them with parchment paper when making bread loaves.
If you would prefer a freeform loaf as opposed to a bread tin-shaped loaf, here’s how. Firstly, you need to reduce the amount of liquid ingredients as this recipe is meant for a bread tin. Use 360ml of buttermilk instead of 400ml. Check out this traditional Irish soda bread recipe on how to make a freeform loaf. Follow from step 4, to mix your dough and then turn it onto a floured surface, shaping, scoring, and then popping it in a Dutch oven and baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 239
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 794.3 mg
- Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.5 g
- Protein: 8.2 g
- Cholesterol: 5.7 mg
So nutty and tasty! Will definitely make again
Great to hear! Thanks so much for following along Joe x
This is some of the best bread I’ve ever had. Tastes just like what you get in Ireland. Thank you for the recipe!!
Thank you Julie! Thant’s so lovely of you to say x
Can you please say what size loaf pan is best , thank you so much ! Do you find silicon loaf pans work well!
Hi Dianne. Personally, I’ve never had much luck with silicon pans – a cake once stuck like glue to one and I’ve never forgiven it;) I use a small non-stick loaf pan. Mine is 20 x 11cm. x
This is by far the best brown bread recipe you can find online. It’s my go-to.
This whole site is a great resource for Irish cooking.
TIW, publish a book!
Thank you so much for your lovely words! x
After reading the ingredients list and seeing palm oil as an ingrediant in the brown bread from our local bakery (here in Ireland), I knew it was time to start making it! this is a fantastic and incredibly easy bread! I had no buttermilk so used 400mls of natural yoghurt and 50 mls of milk and that worked great also!
thanks so much Emma really appreciate it
So happy you liked it Megan:) I too swap out buttermilk for yoghurt in bread recipes. It’s never failed me yet! Have a great weekend x
I can’t get coarse whole meal flour. Should I adjust the amount of regular whole wheat flour?
Hi Jan
Brown bread is just wholemeal soda bread so definitely give it a try. Use the same amount of flour, but you will likely need to adjust the amount of buttermilk. I’d start with 3/4 of the amount in the recipe and see how you go. You may need more or less than the recipe states depending on the flour (you’re looking for a wet, sticky dough). Happy baking! x
Delicious!! I had to keep my loaf in an extra 7 mins to get it to the correct doneness but it was perfect otherwise!! So tasty and perfect bread for a butter board!!
So happy you liked it! x
I can’t even believe how delicious this was! I used 100% Spelt flour and it tastes like something between a buttery rich scone and wholemeal bread- the only challenge for me is the center took a bit longer to cook, so I may start at 400F to get the rise, then turn it back- can’t wait to make again!!
So happy you liked it Janet! x
So glad i found this recipe, and so are my family ! Am currently making a loaf for breakfast. Thank you
So happy you liked it Craig. Happy baking! Emma x
This is a cracking recipe! I can’t use my family’s brown bread recipe can’t get a hold of some of the ingredients. In my search for the perfect loaf I’ve tried quite a few now, and this one has turned out great. I added the sunflower seeds into the mix and the oats ontop.
Plus I changed the buttermilk for soya buttermilk. My top tip is be sure to warm the soya milk enough, I do 1 minute – 2 minutes in the microwave and then add 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.
Yum, I’ll be doing this again!
So happy you liked it Julia! x