Welcome to Clubhouse Eats, where we celebrate the game’s most delectable food and drink. Hope you brought your appetite.
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There’s something about the brown soda bread in Ireland. Ask anyone who has visited the Emerald Isle and they’ll tell you: The bread is so different from what we’re used to at home. It’s soft, yet dense, and also somewhat crumbly — a hearty and delicious accompaniment to every meal. Add a dollop of butter and jam on a slice, and you have a snack fit for a king. Enjoy it with chowder or soup, or create a sandwich with egg or smoked salmon. You can’t really go wrong! The bread enhances everything it touches, and is so ubiquitous across the country that its absence is quite noticeable when you return to the States.
The good news? You don’t have to go without! Authentic Irish brown soda bread is surprisingly easy to make. At Ireland’s Dromoland Castle — a five-star luxury hotel with a stellar parkland golf course in Co. Clare — brown bread is served with just about every entree, and executive head chef David McCann shared his thoughts on what is it that makes Irish soda bread so special.
“Soda bread is more than just food — it’s tied to Irish identity and hospitality,” McCann said. “Many Irish households still bake it regularly, and it’s served with soups and stews, or simply butter and jam. Irish flour is traditionally made from soft wheat, which doesn’t work well with yeast but is perfect for soda-leavened breads.”
“Soda bread became popular in Ireland in the early 1800s when baking soda was first introduced as a cheap and reliable leavening agent,” McCann said. “Ireland’s poorer rural families often lacked ovens and expensive ingredients like yeast or refined flour. Soda bread could be made with basic ingredients — flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk — and baked on a griddle or in a bastible pot (a type of cast-iron pot over the fire) Dutch oven.”
While sourdough bread enjoyed a spotlight moment here in the States during the pandemic, Irish soda bread is another easy-to-make staple at home. Some best-practice tips from McCann include adding a bit of sunflower oil for moisture, and taking care not to overwork the dough.
“In Dromoland’s recipe we say, ‘There’s no need to knead!’” McCann said. “We work the dough very little, have it quite liquid and bake it in a lined tin. Just follow the recipe, and make sure the mixture is wet. You must also preheat the oven, that’s very important.”
There’s only one more thing to remember: the score on top.
“My mother once told me that the traditional crosscut on top isn’t just for looks,” McCann said. “It helps the bread bake evenly, and folklore says it’s to ‘let the fairies out.’”
Sounds like as good as reason as any to add the cuts! Ready to bake a loaf for yourself? McCann shared Dromoland’s recipe below. And if you’re seeking the perfect accompaniment, you can check out his delectable seafood chowder recipe here.
Dromoland Castle’s Brown Bread
Makes 2 lb loaf
Ingredients
1.5 cups wholemeal flour 1/3 cup plain flour 1 tbsp bran 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp bread soda Pinch of Salt 1/6 cup sunflower oil 1 egg 1.5 cups buttermilk
Method:
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Make a well in the center of the dry mix, add the oil, buttermilk and egg, mix all together.
Pour into a greased loaf tin.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 Celsius (350 F) for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Turn out onto a rack and allow to cool.
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