Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread With Bulgur
Updated Aug. 15, 2022
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 120grams (about ¾ cup) medium (#2) bulgur
- 1cup boiling water
- 460grams (about 3⅔ cups) whole wheat flour
- 8grams baking soda (1½ teaspoons)
- 10grams salt (about 1½ teaspoons)
- 2cups buttermilk (more as needed)
Preparation
- Step 1
Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour on 1 cup boiling water, or enough to cover the bulgur by about ½ inch. Cover the bowl and allow the bulgur to sit for 30 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed and the grains are tender.
- Step 2
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Step 3
Place the flour in a large, wide bowl and sift in the baking soda and salt. Mix in with your hands or with a wide spatula. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Add the bulgur to the well, then mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl to the center using a wide rubber spatula, a wide wooden spoon or your hands, turning the bowl and sweeping the flour from the sides into the buttermilk. Mix until the bulgur and buttermilk have been incorporated into the flour, then scrape out onto a lightly floured work surface. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky. Flour your hands so it won’t stick to them.
- Step 4
Gently knead the dough, only enough to shape it into a ball, then with floured hands gently pat it down to a 2-inch high round, about 9 inches in diameter. Place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet and cut a ½-inch deep cross across the top.
- Step 5
Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Turn down the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf responds with a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven, wrap loosely in a cloth or kitchen towel, and cool on a rack.
- If you have been following my baking recipes, done in grams, note that I have revised my weight of 1 cup of flour; scooping flour into a cup with a tablespoon and leveling off, I got a lighter cup of flour (about 125 grams as opposed to the 140 I used in my muffin recipes) and am basing my approximations on this.
- Advance preparation: Soda bread is best eaten within 2 days of baking. It does not freeze well.
Private Notes
Comments
Why include bulgur in soda bread? I'd love a bit more explanation of the creation process and what to expect with this recipe.
American whole wheat flour isn't as rough as the wholemeal flour used in Ireland. You can order Odlum's Wholemeal flour but it is crazy expensive. I have never had much success with trying to replicate Irish brown bread- even with the flour- plan on giving this a whirl today
Part of what gives soda bread that nutty, rustic flavor and texture is the inclusion off cracked or broken grains. It’s hard to find cracked wheat flour here, so adding bulgur is a reasonable approximation.
Loved this. Whole family enjoyed it -- even after declaring that they never liked Irish soda bread.
Baking this in a parchment-lined 9" cake pan works well too. Maybe I'm just getting old (I'm 34) but I'd take this whole-wheat soda bread over a sweet, raisin-studded one any day!
Is it possible to make a smaller loaf? I'm single and don't want to eat a whole loaf of bread in two days. The yeast-whole-wheat bread I make can be frozen and I take out two slices every day to eat. How can I cut this recipe down?
One of the other reviewers mentioned making two small loaves out of this instead of one large. Maybe try halving the recipe, forming it into a 2-in high round, and baking for slightly less time. An easier way to check doneness is with a instant thermometer - you want an internal temp of 195-205 deg F (I aim for 195-200 F).