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I love to have Irish Soda Bread for breakfast hot out of the oven with some low fat spread and a cup of tea. This is very easy to make, even if you have no experience baking.
Low Fat Irish Soda Bread
Perfect recipe for the St Patrick’s Day holiday. If you prefer to make a bread to serve with dinner, omit the raisins and sugar and you can add caraway seeds. A great side to Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage or a Cream of Asparagus Leek Soup with Creme Fraiche.
Low Fat Irish Soda Bread
I love to have Irish Soda Bread for breakfast hot out of the oven with some low fat spread and a cup of tea. This is very easy to make, even if you have no experience baking. If you prefer to make a bread to serve with dinner, omit the raisins and sugar and you can add caraway seeds.
Yield: 15 servings
Serving Size: 2 oz slice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 cups 1% buttermilk
- 3 oz 2/3 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Mix all dry ingredients (first 5) in a large bowl with a whisk.
- Slowly add buttermilk stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft dough is formed.
- Add raisins, knead the dough lightly on a sheet of wax paper or a floured surface for about 1 minute.
- Form into a round, slightly flattened shape.
- Place on a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Using a sharp knife, make an X at the top about 1/2 inch deep. Bake about 40 minutes, until golden.
- To test if it's done, insert a toothpick into the bread, if it comes out clean it is done.
- Let it cool on a bakers rack for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Serving: 2 oz slice, Calories: 124.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 27 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 0.5 g, Cholesterol: 1 mg, Sodium: 307 mg, Fiber: 1.5 g, Sugar: 8.5 g
Categories:
This recipe was so easy to make. i didn’t have wheat flour so all white flour. this turned out delicious. A new favorite!!!!!!
Easy and delicious!! Irish soda bread. Thank you for sharing!!
Hi. Can I make the full recipe but bake it as 2 small breads? If so, how long to bake for?
Thank you
You can, but I am not sure for how long. I would start doing a toothpick check maybe around 25 minutes?
Wonderful low fat recipe. We weight our slices to accurately track calories and a 2 oz slice is perfect. I’ve been using currants which allows more fruit throughout the bread for the same 3 oz. I grind my own whole wheat ( which I heartily recommend esp if you have a kitchen aid and can get a grinder attachment) But because of that I have found that one and a half cups of buttermilk is a bit too much and creates too wet of a dough to knead. Therefore, I let the wet dough sit for 15 minutes so the more coarse wheat flour can absorb liquid and have also decided to cut the buttermilk down to 1 1/4 cups. Comes out perfectly every time.
This recipe is so easy to make and it turns out perfect! I love that I can have a lower fat, healthier Irish soda bread without sacrificing any of the flavor.
Tonight I made this exactly as written. It came together quickly. It’s delicious! Can’t wait to have it for breakfast!
Are there really no eggs in this recipe? I am used to many eggs in Irish soda bread…
I have made traditional Irish Soda bread after my first trip to Ireland 6 years ago. This recipe makes a delicious loaf that is versatile as a dinner bread minus the sugar and raisins. For the sweet “tea cake” version I prefer using brown granulated sugar and golden raisins. I add the caraway seeds in both versions for a delicious twist of flavor! I also use a 1/2 tablespoon of cold Irish butter crumbled into the dough for easier kneading and a moist and flavorful touch of Ireland! I find it so most and yummy that I enjoy it without a spread of any kind fresh out of the oven with my tea.
Do you think I can replace the Buttermilk with unsweetened Cashew Milk?
I can’t say without testing
Is there a way to make the soda bread with your 2 ingredient dough???
Hi Gina!
Can you please add bread machine instructions to this recipe? Thanks in advance!
This was so good! I used 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup white, and didn’t add sugar or raisins. Came out to 40sp/loaf or 5sp for a big slice. Super quick and easy, plus paired perfectly with the corned beef and cabbage soup. Thanks for making this recipe!
You’re welcome! 🙂
if i want to make this recipe into 2 smaller loaves, is the cook time the same? do i just mix all the ingredients as 1 and then once kneeded just pull into 2 loaves?
This was so delicious and so easy to make! I had just about all the ingredients in my apartment already, which made me so happy! Will definitely be making this many more times!
Do you think this would this come out ok as uffins, baked in muffin tins?
Would using all white-whole wheat flour produce the same results?
add caraway seeds,it is sooo good.
This sounds like a recipe I want to make this week. Thank u Gina 🙂
Can I make this with lower fat buttermilk?
I did and it turned out delicious!
This looks awesome! Do I have to soak the raisins in warm water before add them to the dough or not?
Made this tonight for St.Patty’s Dinner and the whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I guess I should have watched this closer … 40 minutes at 375 produced a nearly burnt loaf for me – totally inedible. Bummer! I'll try it again, and I'm guessing 25-30 minutes will do the trick nicely. Some of your readers may find this tip helpful …
I did 40 mins and it came out perfectly! Maybe you made it too flat??
Just finished making this. It is awesome. So tasty. The kids and hubby love it. Thank you for the recipe.
I was disappointed as this did not have much flavor and was too dense.
Gina – Made this bread last night, and it's DELICIOUS! Irish soda bread is my fav. Thanks for all the great recipes. Finally a site with simple, delicious, HEALTHY recipes! I'm wondering…could I separate the dough into 15 small rolls/buns/scones then bake for easier consumption and portion control? Thanks!
SO pysched! I just pulled my second loaf of this out of the oven, and it looks and smells heavenly.
You'll laugh — I made a loaf of your chocochip zucchini bread on Saturday night (today is Tuesday) and there are only 4 pieces left. I've had 2. You do the math. =) My hubby was a fan.
So, I decided to try this recipe. But since we are having Italian tonight, I wanted something savory, too. So I did a loaf with the raisins, and then I did a savory loaf with parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings. Planning to serve with dipping oil at dinner.
Oh, and I went ahead and made another loaf of the zucchini bread, since the oven was already on.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Gina, for your efforts and recipes. I've not had so much pleasure in my kitchen in a long time!
Why can't we in the USA use weights of some ingredients like they do in Europe?
If you don't have parchment or a silicone mat, you can spray it with nonstick spray.
Yes, you should have used it all. Not sure why it didn't work out for you, but dough can be differernt day to day, if it is too sticky you could add a little more flour.
I don't know if I did something wrong my dough was so sticky. I had to add about 1/2 cup more flour. Was I supposed to use the entire 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or only until it formed into soft ball? Thanks for all your recipes!
Same thing happened to me! Thanks!
Gina,
This looks great! My husband loves Irish soda bread and I am not a baker. This looks just easy enough to try. What can I do if I don't have a silicone baking mat or parchment paper? Thanks for all the great recipes!
I don't have the breakdown any longer so you'll have to put it in recipe builder to see.
If I omit the raisins, and use all whole wheat flour, what kindo of effect would that have on the points?
Made this for a friends birthday – came out great – did bake in a loaf pan – 15 slices were hard to cut – I cut 12 and counted them 3 points each! Thanks for a great WW friendly Irish Soda Bread recipe!
You could also form it up to fit in a loaf pan -very easy to cut into 15 similar sized slices to have the right serving size!!! I have a couple of Soda bread recipes – trying this one for a friends birthday tomorrow!
This recipe looks sooo good! This is my first time on your site and I love it! I also haved looked at the "Speghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes". That also looks great!
This is in the oven and smells soooo good! I was watching TV while making so not sure if I mis-measured but my dough was a bit sticky. I'm sure it will be just fine.
This was delicious! I'm still enjoying it!!
My father is an Irish-American and knows his Irish cooking. I made this soda bread for him last night (St. Patrick's day)….he said it was the best he has ever had.
THANK YOU, GINA! =)
@Stee- There's no fat in sugar! It's a matter of taste really, I like mine a little sweet (it's really not sweet) when I add raisins. If I was making this without raisins to serve with a meal, I would omit the sugar.
I made this tonight for dinner and it was FABULOUS! You didn't mention adding any flour as you kneaded. I think I had to add about 1/4 cup more. I ground the wheat flour right before I made it – talk about fresh! Thanks!
Is there an alternative to the buttermilk?
Thanks Nanny. Hopefully someday! It would be nice if Weight Watchers published a book with my recipes!!
that is one WW cookbook that I would purchase. Have your 2 cookbooks and love them. Awaiting a new one!
Gina, I love this site! But when will you print a cookbook!! I always come away with a new idea for cooking. Your photos alone inspire me.
The weight measurement of a cup varies depending on what you are weighing.
@Cooking home- You're welcome!
@Bonnie- Hope you like it!
For beginners, this is a simple recipe.Also great for the expert who needs a quick meal done. Nutritious with whole wheat flour and then raisins for extra taste and flavor. Raisins have Potassium and give high energy. Thanks for the pics.
I'm new this site and just wondering what the weight measurement of a cup is?
Thanks Gina!
I make Irish Soda Bread every year and I was going to figure out how to make it "Weight Watcher Friendly" this year and low and behold you did it for me!
I love all your great recipes!
when do you add the raisins?
Im new to WW..thanks for the wonderful recipes!!!
I make this bread every year for St. Patrick's Day, never tried it with wheat flour. Thanks for the idea.
I love Irish Soda Bread! This is a great low fat alternative to baking it with butter and eggs. Scales are so inexpensive, you can purchase one on Amazon.
@Ben- 🙂
I really don't know why I haven't made this since it is so easy to make… I know what I am going to make this weekend for breakfast 🙂
Alexandra: The notes say "15 Slices".
Cut your loaf into thirds, and 5 slices from each. Voila!
I've never had irish soda bread before but I want to try it! Probably will do this recipe sometime near the end of this week. My only question is… how the heck do I slice it?! Haha. I don't have a food scale to find out how much will be 2oz.
I had Irish Soda Bread for the first time a couple weeks ago, and Loved it! Thanks so much for this recipe!!