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IRISH BROWN SODA BREAD: RYE SCALD METHOD

Irish Soda Bread is a quick and traditional bread-making experience, relying on baking soda as the leavening agent. With a unique rye scald technique to prevent staling, it produces a simple, rustic loaf with a crunchy crust, soft interior, and rich wheat flavor.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Course: Appetizer, Bread, Sandwich, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 240 g whole-wheat flour
  • 140 g all-purpose flour
  • 12 g granulated sugar 2 tsp.
  • 7 g baking soda 1½ tsp
  • 7 g wheat germ 1½ tsp (optional)
  • 6 g seat salt 1 tsp
  • 40 g rye flour or whole-wheat flour
  • 80 g boiling water
  • 363 g buttermilk 1½ cups
  • 15 g vegetable oil 1 Tbsp

Equipment

  • blender, hand mixer, or stand mixer A blender works best to uniformly mix the scald.
  • Dutch oven with lid Or bread pan with lid.
  • baker's scale

Method
 

Make the dough:
  1. Preheat your oven to 425℉/204℃ with bread pan or Dutch oven inside.
  2. Whisk together 240g whole-wheat flour, 140g all-purpose flour, 12g sugar, 7g baking soda, 7g wheat germ (if using), and 4g salt. Sift out any clumps of baking soda. Set aside until ready to use. Place a sheet of parchment on the side of your workspace to use later.
Make the rye scald:
  1. Place 40g rye flour in a large bowl and cover with 80g boiling water. Stir mixture together with a rubber spatula until a thick paste forms. Transfer paste to the bowl of a blender along with 363g buttermilk and 15g vegetable oil. Blend on medium-low speed until uniform, then transfer the mixture back to the bowl.
Make the batter:
  1. Using a rubber spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture until just combined and no dry flour remains. Using a flexible dough scraper or rubber spatula, form the dough into a round ball at the bottom of the bowl, then transfer it to the center of the parchment. Using light-moistened hands, gently round and smooth the dough into an even, tall 10-inch-wide round (do not press down on the dough). Using the moistened edge of a scraper, gently score a ½-inch-deep cross into the top of the loaf.
Bake:
  1. Transfer the loaf on the parchment to the bread pan or Dutch oven and cover it with the lid. Reduce oven temperature to 400℉/205℃. Bake soda bread, covered, until golden brown, about 30 minutes, Remove lid and continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes.
  2. Remove loaf from the bread pan or Dutch oven and allow to cool 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
  3. Enjoy warm with butter and jam, butter and a bowl of soup, or make an open-faced sandwich. This soda bread is best consumed on the day it is made, though it will toast up nicely for up to 3 days.