Buckwheat flour adds a delicious extra dimension to this soda bread recipe. A much healthier option than shop-bought bread, this Easy Buckwheat Soda Bread is also super quick to make – you can have fresh bread in under 40 minutes. And no kneading or proving required!
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The problem with shop-bought bread…
Shop-bought bread has been in the news a lot lately for being much less healthy than we all thought – due to the fact that most shop-bought bread is ultra processed and packed full of unhealthy additives, such as emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours and flavours.
Ultra Processed Food – or UPF – has been linked to many serious health conditions, including whole variety of cancers, heart disease, strokes, dementia and obesity.
Even the supposedly ‘healthy’ shop-bought breads like wholemeal, multigrain, rustic sourdough… or that fancy one with rye flour and seeds… are often just as bad when you actually look at the label.
Of course, the best alternative is to make your own. Homemade bread is much better for you than shop-bought bread… and much tastier and cheaper too!
However, making your own bread takes several hours and can be a bit of a palaver… which is why I am such a fan of soda bread. Soda bread has all the benefits of regular homemade bread… but it’s ready in under 40 minutes. And super easy – no kneading or proving required!
But it gets better…
Super healthy bread!
I have lots of great healthy soda bread recipes on my website. For example…
- Easy Wholemeal Soda Bread
- Easy Granary Soda Bread
- Pumpkin Seed and Rye Soda Bread
- Easy Soda Bread Rolls
- Easy Irish Soda Bread with Yogurt
- Vegan Soda Bread
These are packed full of goodness thanks to the wholegrain flours and other nutritious ingredients like yogurt, oats and seeds.
But I have been determined to go one better and create a bread using buckwheat flour – a wholegrain ‘pseudocereal’, known for its high mineral and antioxidant content.
It’s taken a bit of time, but I’ve finally cracked it. This super healthy buckwheat bread is made with a combination of wholemeal plain flour and buckwheat flour (see why this blend below) and is packed full of goodness.
What is buckwheat?
Buckwheat is actually an ancient grain with a long history. It has been eaten in Asian and Eastern European countries for centuries, but is now becoming increasingly popular in the west due to its many health benefits.
While buckwheat is often thought of as a cereal grain, it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel. However, because its seeds are rich in complex carbohydrates, it is sometimes referred to as a pseudocereal.
Why is buckwheat so good for you?
Buckwheat is high in protein and fibre. It is rich in many trace minerals, including manganese, magnesium and copper and is a good source of the B vitamins. In fact, buckwheat is so packed with nutrients and antioxidants that it is often referred to as a “superfood”.
Buckwheat contains relatively few calories (66 calories for an 80g cooked portion, 40g uncooked) and practically no fat. And buckwheat also ranks low on the glycaemic scale.
Diets that contain buckwheat have been linked to a lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure and buckwheat may even help weight loss, reduce food cravings and improve diabetes.
How to make buckwheat soda bread…
Making buckwheat soda bread is one of the easiest ways to get buckwheat into your diet!
All you need to do is mix together plain wholemeal flour, buckwheat flour, salt and baking soda. Then, in a jug, mix together the milk and vinegar. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Leave the mixture to rest for 5 minutes, then bring the dough together into a ball using your hands.
Next, place the ball of dough on a baking tray. Flatten the ball a little and then cut a deep cross into it. The cross should go almost to the base of the loaf – but not quite! Bake the loaf in your pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked all the way through and golden on top. Easy peasy!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
Why use plain wholemeal flour?
You’ll notice I use a combination of plain wholemeal flour and buckwheat flour. The reason is simple. I have experimented with 100% buckwheat, but the result is too dense, too gritty (see below) and the flavour is too overpowering for most people’s tastes. (It turns out you can have too much of a good thing!)
The good news is that, when combined with wholemeal flour, it is utterly delicious! The texture is less dense, it’s not too gritty and the balance of the two flours makes for a really great flavour.
Plus you get added goodness from the wholemeal flour, since wholemeal flour is rich in fibre, B vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and minerals like iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium.
Why leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes?
Buckwheat flour has a slightly gritty texture which can be a bit of an acquired taste. I have found, through experimentation, that this can be greatly improved by 2 things…
First, I use slightly more liquid in this soda bread recipe than I usually do.
And secondly, I leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes before shaping and baking. This allows the flour to absorb this extra liquid.
The result is a lovely texture, with only a hint of buckwheat’s hallmark grittiness – which I think gives this bread a unique ‘character’, which is rather lovely and a little unusual, but certainly not unpleasant!
What’s the best buckwheat flour to use in bread?
Buckwheat flour used to be hard to get hold of, but now many of the larger supermarkets stock it in their specialty flours range. You can also usually get hold if it at specialist health food stores.
The brand I use and recommend is Doves Farm. If you struggle to find it in the shops, you can buy Doves Farm Buckwheat Flour on Amazon*.
No need for buttermilk
Traditional Irish Soda Bread recipes usually call for buttermilk, but buttermilk can sometimes be hard to get hold of and quite expensive. Fortunately there is a super easy substitute – simply use milk plus vinegar. It works just as well and tastes just as good!
Alternatively you can use plain yogurt or buttermilk, if you prefer. Instructions for all 3 methods are given in the recipe card below.
Can you use baking powder instead of baking soda?
No! It won’t work. You need to use baking soda (AKA bicarbonate of soda). It is the reaction between the acid in the vinegar and the baking soda that helps the soda bread to rise.
Why do you need to cut such a deep cross?
Because soda bread cooks quickly, if you don’t cut a big, deep cross, you are likely to find the outside of the soda bread is cooked before the middle of the soda bread. Cutting a deep cross in the middle of the soda bread helps the heat to penetrate right to the centre of the bread really fast, so it cooks through properly.
So be brave and cut a really deep, clean cross – it should go almost to the bottom of the dough!
(Some people cut a cross in soda bread for superstitious reasons, as they believe the cross in the top of the soda bread will let the fairies out and/or ward off evil and bring good luck.)
What to serve with buckwheat soda bread…
Soda bread is delicious warm out of the oven, just as it is – or with butter. It’s also wonderful with antipasti type foods, such as or cheese, olives and cold meats.
Alternatively, it is a brilliant accompaniment to soups and stews. Obviously it goes especially well with Traditional Irish Lamb Stew, but it also goes well with:
- Spicy Parsnip Soup
- Easy Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup
- Easy Carrot and Coriander Soup
- Easy Peasy Vegetable Soup
- Easy Leek and Potato Soup
And if you want to really max out the nutritional goodness, then serve this healthy buckwheat bread with my Immune System Boosting Soup!
(Shown here with Curried Parsnip Soup.)
Buckwheat Soda Bread with Curried Parsnip Soup
How long does buckwheat soda bread last?
Buckwheat soda bread does not keep especially long. (Mostly because it is so delicious!) It is best eaten on the day you make it. The day after it tastes OK, but it’s usually starting to go a little stale.
If you do have some left over the next day, I recommend that you toast it – toasted buckwheat soda bread is very delicious!
Can you freeze buckwheat soda bread?
Absolutely! Buckwheat soda bread freezes really well. Just make sure you freeze it on the day you bake it and that it is completely cool and well wrapped (wrapping should be airtight – e.g. a freezer bag) before putting it in the freezer.
You can freeze it as a whole loaf or cut it into slices first. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and either eat it at room temperature or toast it.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Buckwheat Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 175 g buckwheat flour (I use Doves Farm Organic Buckwheat Flour*)
- 175 g plain wholemeal flour see Note 1
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste (see Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda see Note 3
- 250 ml milk see Note 4
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar see Note 5
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F. Dust a non-stick baking tray with a little wholemeal flour.
- In a large bowl, mix together thoroughly the two flours, salt and baking soda.
- In a jug, mix together the milk and vinegar.
- Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Leave the mixture to rest for 5 minutes. (See Note 6.)
- Bring the dough together into a ball using your hands. The dough should just come together into a ball, but shouldn’t be wet and sloppy. (If it doesn’t all come together, add a splash of water. If it’s too wet and sloppy add a touch more flour.)
- Roll the dough into a ball and place on your prepared baking tray.
- Flatten the ball a little and then cut a deep cross into it. The cross should go almost to the base of the loaf – but not quite!
- Sprinkle the loaf with a little wholemeal flour.
- Bake the loaf in your pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked all the way through and golden on top.
- Ideally, serve warm – straight out of the oven!
Notes
- Be sure to use plain (all purpose) wholemeal flour NOT wholemeal bread flour or wholemeal self-raising flour.
- Salt is a very personal thing. I find ½ to 1 teaspoon is about right for my own personal tastes, but feel free to adjust to suit your own personal preferences.
- Be sure to use baking soda (which is the same as bicarbonate of soda) DO NOT use baking powder, which is a different thing entirely!
- Traditionally soda bread uses buttermilk, however buttermilk can be hard to get hold of and expensive. Regular milk plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar (or lemon juice) works just as well, and means you don’t have to go out and buy special ingredients for this recipe. However, if you prefer, you can use 300ml buttermilk or 300g natural yogurt in this recipe, in place of the milk AND vinegar. Any milk will work in this recipe. I use regular cow’s milk, but you can use a plant-based milk, if you prefer.
- Alternatively, you can use white wine vinegar or lemon juice. At a push you could use red wine vinegar, but DO NOT use malt vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
- I would normally put soda bread straight into the oven, but I find buckwheat flour can be a bit ‘gritty’ if you do that. Resting the mixture for 5 minutes before shaping and baking means the buckwheat flour can absorb some of the liquid from the milk, resulting in a less ‘gritty’ texture. The 5 minute resting time does not affect the loaf’s ability to rise in the oven.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Anna says
This Buckwheat Soda Bread recipe is an absolute gem! 🌟 It’s not just about the fantastic flavor and texture, but also the health benefits it packs. Using buckwheat flour adds a wonderful dimension, making this bread not only delicious but also a much healthier option compared to store-bought bread. The fact that it’s so quick and easy to make without any kneading or proving is just icing on the cake! I appreciate the detailed explanation about buckwheat and its nutritional value, as well as the tips and tricks provided throughout the recipe. Can’t wait to try it out and enjoy it warm straight out of the oven with some butter or alongside a hearty soup. Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe! 🍞🥣👌
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for this lovely review 😀
Trisha says
Hi
Do you have a recipe for no gluten no dairy bread?
Eb Gargano says
Sorry no, not at the moment. This recipe could easily be adapted though – you could use GF plain flour in place of the regular plain flour (I like Dove’s farm GF plain flour) and non-dairy milk in place of the cows milk. Buckwheat flour is usually GF, but do check the label, obviously! Alternatively you could use GF plain flour in place of all the flour in this recipe. I do find GF plain flour can also be a little gritty, so it would also benefit from the extra ‘resting’ time (see Step 5 / Note 6). Hope that helps! Eb 🙂