Go Irish Soda Bread

Get lucky and kiss fat and calories goodbye with this whole-grain soda bread.

By: Jodie Shield, MED, RDN

St.  Patrick’s Day without soda bread? Blarney! You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy my easy and tasty recipe. I gave the Chicago Tribune’s Irish Soda Bread a healthy makeover. Key ingredient swaps: white whole-wheat flour to add fiber;  fat-free buttermilk to cut calories, add tenderness, and lighten up the batter. No buttermilk in the fridge? No problem. You can make your own in a matter of minutes. Simply add a tablespoon of lemon juice to fat-free milk and let it sit at room temperature for ten minutes.  When ready, it will slightly thicken and display a few small curdles.

Try your luck and make some of my other whole-grain quick bread recips like Applesauce Bread, Banana Bread, and Blueberry Muffins. You can find all of these recipes and many more by downloading my FREE app Eat Healthy Homemade Meals in Minutes. 

Go Irish Soda Bread

10 Servings

Prep Time = 20 minutes

Cooking Time = 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups white whole-wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces
• ½ cup dried currants
• 1 cup fat-free buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon natural raw cane turbinado sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preeat the oven to 400°F. Dust the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with flour.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly. Stir in the currants.
3. Add the buttermilk to make a moist, soft dough. Knead the dough in the bowl a few times to be sure all bits are off the bottom and the dough comes together (dough will not be smooth). Shape into ball; transfer it to the prepared pan. Gently press the dough down but do not flatten it out to fill the pan. Sprinkle the sugar over the top if using.
4. Bake the soda bread until yhe top is a deep golden-brown color and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 35 minutes. Remove the soda bread fromthe  pan; cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information per Slice: 180 calories, 5 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams fiber, 223 milligrams sodium

Photo Credit: irish-soda-bread-macro-gm929908534-254974683

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