Celebrate Homemade Bread Day with Ireland's Most Popular Bread (2024)

Can you guess what is the most popular bread in Ireland?


Although visions of Irish Soda Bread may come to mind - for good reason - it is very popular and tasty. It is actually Irish wheaten or “Brown Bread” that is the most popular and arguably the most delicious type of traditional Irish bread that exists. It’s so common that you’ll find brown bread in almost every home on the island and it’s so versatile that it’s offered with a range of menu items.

On a recent day trip in Ireland, my wife Mary and I traveled to Newcastle in Co. Down to do some exploring (which we’ll tell you more about in next week’s post). Although we probably won’t be baking the bread ourselves on 11/17 in honor of Homemade Bread Day, we did find a lovely restaurant in Newcastle which featured a delightful Seafood Chowder served with brown bread. The delicious combination will warm you up on the coldest of days. Yes, that’s the bowl of Seafood Chowder served with a side of brown bread and creamy irish butter in the picture. If you can’t tell from the picture, it was amazing!

Why are we making such a big deal about Homemade Bread Day, you ask? In Ireland, baking is a tradition and trade that goes back centuries. It’s not uncommon for an Irish household to be filled with the aroma of bread rising or for an Irish person to offer you a slice from a freshly baked loaf over a cuppa tea. Most Irishmen and women eat Irish brown bread for breakfast or lunch. It’s best served simple, with a pad of Kerrygold butter or used as a dunker with soup. Maybe second only to its spirits, (the adult beverage type), bread is without a doubt, baked into the Irish culture.

Honestly, making brown bread is fairly easy and less time consuming than other recipes because you don’t need to let the dough rise. If you’d like to try your hand at baking a loaf of authentic Irish brown bread, you can use this recipe.

Traditional Irish Brown Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 cups stone ground whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1/2–3/4 pints buttermilk
  • 1/2 ounce wheat germ (optional)
  • 1 ounce wheat bran (optional)

Step 1: Make the Dough

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Then, add the plain flour, salt and baking soda into a medium bowl. Mix in the whole wheat flour. Stir in the wheat germ and wheat bran, too, if you’re using them. Add the molasses and enough of the buttermilk to create a soft dough.

Step 2: Form the Dough

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead just enough for the dough to come together. Form the dough into a round and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Cut a cross in the center of the bread. (It lest the steam dissipate.)

Step 3: Bake!

Place the sheet in the middle rack and bake for about 40 minutes. The bread is ready if it sounds hollow when you tap it at the base. Cool the bread on a wire rack. Wrap a tea towel around it during this phase for a softer crust.

Step 4: Serve

We recommend cutting your brown bread and serving it on one of our rustic looking Irish cutting boards. We have a handled charcuterie style board, a large or medium cutting board or individual serving, mini board - all will help you to serve in style!


If you are really into making bread, you might also like our St. Patrick’s Day post that features an Irish Soda Bread recipe.


Whichever recipe you choose to use, let us know how it turns out. I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at ward@biddymurphy.com.

​​Slán go fóill - Bye for now

Celebrate Homemade Bread Day with Ireland's Most Popular Bread (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular bread in Ireland? ›

It is actually Irish wheaten or “Brown Bread” that is the most popular and arguably the most delicious type of traditional Irish bread that exists. It's so common that you'll find brown bread in almost every home on the island and it's so versatile that it's offered with a range of menu items.

Why is bread so popular in Ireland? ›

It wasn't until after the Great Famine and the loss of potatoes that bread became the main staple again in Ireland. Baking bread became prevalent in every home and saw some great developments in bread styles.

What is National Homemade Bread Day? ›

It's time to celebrate National Homemade Bread Day on November 17! This day has been celebrated for centuries, with people around the world baking fresh bread in their homes.

Why is Irish soda bread popular? ›

Many Irish families also lived in isolated farm areas with no access to ovens, and soda bread solved this problem too. The bread was cooked in three-legged iron pots or baked on griddles over open hearths. This gave the bread its famous hard crust, dense texture, and slightly sour tang.

What is Irish bread called? ›

In Ulster, the wholemeal variety is usually known as wheaten bread and is normally sweetened, while the term "soda bread" is restricted to the white savoury form. In the southern provinces of Ireland, the wholemeal variety is usually known as brown bread and is almost identical to the Ulster wheaten.

Why is bread called pan in Ireland? ›

A pan loaf is a style of bread loaf baked in a loaf pan or tin. It is the most common style available in the United Kingdom, though the term itself is predominantly Scottish and Northern Irish so as to differentiate it from the plain loaf.

Why do we celebrate bread day? ›

The origins of World Bread Day can be traced back to Germany in 2005. The International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners wanted to bring attention to the valuable role bread plays in our lives. They designated October 16th as a day to celebrate and promote the art of bread making.

What day is International bread day? ›

World Day of Bread is celebrated on October 16th every year. It was founded by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners (UIBC) in 2005 to celebrate the importance of bread in human culture and to raise awareness of the challenges faced by bakers around the world.

What is the history of bread in Ireland? ›

The love of bread in Ireland goes back centuries, and the oldest record of bread in Ireland is a flat bread which dates back to the Stone Age. When the Normans arrived they brought new bread making methods with them and sometime in the 11th Century, fine sieves were used to separate the bran and white bread was born.

What's the difference between Irish bread and Irish soda bread? ›

However, the two loaves differ pretty significantly from there. Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like while Irish brown bread is more savory with a tender interior.

How do the Irish eat Irish soda bread? ›

The traditional way of serving your Irish soda bread is serving the loaf while it's warm with butter. Spread a thick layer of your butter on the slice and revel on the hearty flavor exploding in your mouth.

Is sourdough bread popular in Ireland? ›

Whilst Sourdough isn't a traditional Irish bread, it is growing in popularity across Ireland, with plenty of bakeries serving fresh loaves or offering courses where you can learn to make your own sourdough loaf yourself!

What is the most popular bread in the UK? ›

Warburtons is the leading British brand of breads and brioches, ahead of Hovis and Kingsmill. Warburtons offers a diversity of bread products, including its 'toastie white'. All in all, white bread is the most purchased type of bread in the UK.

What was black bread in Ireland? ›

The rate that flour was extracted from wheat was continuously increased, measuring at 100 per cent on some occasions during the war. High extraction flours produced a loaf of a dark, grey-brown colour: the 'black bread' that became common in the Irish vernacular.

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