A loaf of Irish soda bread on a brown plate with a chunk cut out and smeared with butter.

5 / 11 votes

Irish Soda Bread with Walnuts

This Irish soda bread is very close to traditional with the exception of using pantry-friendly yogurt instead of buttermilk. It also includes whole-wheat flour and walnuts and has incredible flavor, keeps well, and goes with everything from soup to jam. Here's how to make it.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: Sides

Cuisine: Irish

Servings: servings

Calories: 222

Equipment

9 x 5-inch loaf pan (if making a loaf rather than a traditional boule)

Ingredients

▢ mild vegetable oil, for the baking sheet or pan
▢ 2 cups walnut halves or pieces
▢ Scant 4 cups whole-wheat flour, plus more for the work surface
▢ 1 tablespoon demerara or light brown sugar
▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ 2 cups plain full-fat or low-fat yogurt, and up to 2 1/2 cups (NOTE: Don't substitute Greek yogurt), plus more as needed

US - Metric

Instructions

Crank the oven to 350°F (180°C) and lightly coat either a baking sheet (if you want to make a free-form, traditional round loaf) or a loaf pan with mild vegetable oil.
Blitz half the 2 cups walnut halves or pieces in a food processor until you have a coarse powder. Chop the remaining walnuts into largish chunks.
Place all the walnuts in a large bowl, add the Scant 4 cups whole-wheat flour, 1 tablespoon demerara or light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well to ensure the baking soda is evenly dispersed.
Stir in 2 cups plain full-fat or low-fat yogurt and gently combine, mixing first with a whisk or wooden spoon and then switching to your hands, until a soft dough forms. The dough will be a shaggy mess, but bring the ingredients together as best you can, being careful not to knead the dough as this bread benefits from being handled as little as possible.
☞ TESTER TIP: Different yogurts have different moisture contents. I found that depending on the yogurt used, you may need to work the dough a little more than you expect, or you may need to add up to 1/2 cup more yogurt.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface.
If you're going to bake it in a loaf tin, form the bread into a log shape and drop it into the tin.
If you're going to bake it in the traditional round, form it into a ball, place it on the oiled baking sheet, and score a deep cross into the top using a sharp knife.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the loaf is well risen and browned. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes—if, that is, you can manage to keep your hands off it for that long.

Nutrition