Quick and easy to make, with no kneading or proving required, this delicious Easy Granary Soda Bread is made with granary flour for extra flavour and goodness.
Easy Granary Soda Bread
If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I am a big fan of soda bread. I’ve got recipes for all sorts of variations: white soda bread, wholemeal soda bread, rye soda bread, cheese soda bread, vegan soda bread… even soda bread rolls!
But I realised recently that there was a glaring omission in my soda bread collection: granary soda bread!
Actually, my first though was, ‘Can you even make granary soda bread?’ – as I’d never actually seen a recipe for soda bread made with granary flour. But I figured it was worth a try… after all, I’ve not yet found a flour that doesn’t work in soda bread – it’s wonderfully forgiving!
Well, a couple of experiments later and I can confirm that, not only can you definitely make soda bread with granary flour, it’s also really delicious!
What is granary flour?
In case you are wondering, granary flour is simply brown flour with added malted wheat grains. Malted wheat is made by soaking wheat grains in water so they start to germinate. The germination process is then halted by drying the wheat grains with hot air.
The term ‘granary bread’ was first coined by Hovis and is actually their registered trademark, meaning that, technically, it’s only granary bread if it’s made with Hovis Granary Flour. (Although, other brands of malted wheat flour are available.)
To keep things authentic, my Easy Granary Soda Bread is made with Hovis Granary Flour!
100% granary flour… or mix with wholemeal?
I experimented with a couple of different options to get the best loaf. First I tried making soda bread with 100% granary flour, then I tried making soda bread with half granary flour, half wholemeal flour.
Both versions worked well, but for me, the 100% granary flour soda bread was the winner. It was lighter in texture and more malty in flavour!
You could also try a 50/50 mix of white flour and granary flour, if you prefer white bread, but want just a touch of that delicious malty flavour.
No need for buttermilk
There’s no need to buy in any buttermilk to make this Easy Granary Soda Bread recipe.
Buttermilk can be hard to find and/or a little pricey. Plus, it’s not something most of us keep in stock in our kitchens…
But the good news you can make ‘fake buttermilk’ simply by mixing regular milk and vinegar (my preference is apple cider vinegar, but you can also use white wine vinegar – or even red wine vinegar as a push. I’d steer clear of malt vinegar, though!). Simply mix 200ml (7oz) milk (cow’s milk or plant-based – it’s up to you!) and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
If you don’t have any milk, you could even use water. And if you don’t have any vinegar, you could use lemon juice.
You could also substitute the milk/vinegar combo for the same quantity of yogurt. (You may need to add a splash of water to get the consistency right.)
If you prefer to use buttermilk too, that’s totally OK! I find this recipe works best with 285ml (10oz) buttermilk.
What to serve with Granary Soda Bread?
This Granary Soda Bread is great with soups and stews, cold meats and cheeses, or any of your favourite sandwich fillings. It goes particularly well with my Easy Peasy Leek and Potato Soup.
How long does soda bread keep for?
Soda bread is best eaten freshly baked, but will keep for 24-48 hours if stored in an airtight container.
Can you toast soda bread?
Absolutely! Toasted soda bread is delicious.
Can you freeze soda bread?
Soda bread freezes very well. Simply put the cooled soda bread in an airtight container and place in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months.
Defrost overnight at room temperature.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Granary Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 350 g granary flour (see Note 1)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (see Note 2)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (see Note 3)
- 200 ml milk regular or plant-based (see Note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F. Dust a non-stick baking tray with a little flour.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda.
- In a jug mix together the vinegar and milk.
- Pour the milk/vinegar mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- 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!
- Bake the loaf in your pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes until cooked all the way through and golden on top.
- Ideally, serve warm – straight out of the oven!
Video
Notes
- If you prefer, replace 175g of the granary flour with 175g wholemeal flour OR 175g plain white flour (DO NOT use bread flour or self-raising flour).
- 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!
- 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 have successfully used regular cow's milk, almond milk and oat milk here. You can use any plant-based milk you like here, but beware that strongly flavoured milks, such as hazelnut or coconut will affect the taste of the bread (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your preferences!)
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Kacie Morgan says
I tried soda bread when I was in Belfast and I loved it. I’ve never made my own, but I should really give it a go sometime.
Eb Gargano says
Oh you really should – it’s so good, and so easy! Eb 🙂
Corina Blum says
Normal granary bread is one of my favourite breads but I’ve never tried granary soda bread before. It sounds delicious and definitely something I’d like! I’ve just been making soup and a slice of this would be perfect with it.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, if you like granary bread, you should definitely try granary soda bread! It’s just as tasty… and even easier to make 😀
Maricruz says
This is nice, I am always hunting for bread recipes. Thanks for the buttermilk tip too! 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Glad you like it! Eb 🙂
Sandhya S says
I love how versatile Soda breads are… So perfect with warm bowl of soup.
Eb Gargano says
Me too – and I couldn’t agree more about soda bread and warm soup! Eb 🙂
Janice says
I love granary flour, this is a great idea for a slightly different soda bread.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Janice – glad you like it! Eb 🙂
Lesley says
I love both granary bread and soda bread, so this recipe is a real winner for me.
Eb Gargano says
Yay! I am so happy to hear that 😀
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Soda bread is great when you are in a hurry. We make it quite a lot I love Real Bread and Mr B is half Irish so soda bread is my go to when time is short. I agree Granary flour makes a great soda loaf.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jacqui – it really works well, doesn’t it? Eb 🙂