| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 12 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 12 hr |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups oatmeal
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Flour for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon butter
Instructions
- In a mini-food processor, fitted with a metal blade, pulse the oatmeal until the meal is very fine. Remove from the processor and turn into a mixing bowl. Stir the buttermilk into the oats and cover with plastic wrap. Let the oatmeal steep in the buttermilk for 12 hours.
- In a mixing bowl, sift the other ingredients together. Stir in the steeped oatmeal and mix well. If the mixture is too wet add a little more flour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with the butter.
- Lightly dust the work surface with some flour. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead the dough a couple of times to form a soft ball like shape. Press the dough into a round about 2 inches thick. Using a sharp knife, make a criss-cross cut into the bread. Place the bread in the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve the bread warm with butter.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 269 |
| Total Fat | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 51 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 3 mg |
| Sodium | 297 mg |
Reviews
I had this recipe when in college in 1968; a friend borrowed and I never got it back. Have improvised but am so happy to have the original again. Never processed the oats (always used Quaker), left whole for a rougher texture. Really great to toast slices under the broiler and serve with cream cheese and/or honey butter.
I have made this recipe a bunch of time. First, I toast the oatmeal in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Second I find that id i don’t grind th eoatmeal and let it soak in the buttermlik for 12 hours I get a rougher texture that I loke better. Third, depending on the weather I sometimes have to add about 1/4 cup more of Buttermilk. Fourht and last, I add dried cranberries to it and some toasted Pecans.
The first two times I tried this the stiff goey mess — well didn’t look like it ever could become bread. The second time I actually got up the nerve to bake it anyway and found I had to bake it for much longer– and though it was still slightly raw in the middle- it tasted fantastic. So we gave it another go. And it worked!
Here’s what i did:
I used Steel cut Irish Oatmeal– and perhaps this was my problem?? To compensate– after processing the oatmeal as finely as I had patience for (that took a good 15 minutes I’ll tell you!)– I added almost 2 extra cups of buttermilk so that I could actually stir the mixture when it was time to add it to the flour the next day.
I followed the suggestion of the previous poster– 450 for 20 minutes– but then it only took 10 minutes at 400 before my loaf was browning and sounded hollow. So far– so good. I’m letting it cool wrapped in a dish towel now to keep the crust soft. =)
It only took 15 minutes to whip together everything and get it into the oven after the oats were steeped in the buttermilk. This was so quick i managed to do it on a coffee break!
I’ve made this a few times and found that it needed a little less flour (I used two cups). Otherwise I followed the directions and was happy with the result. There are at least three types of soda bread that I’ve had in Ireland (white, fruit and oat). I think this recipe is a good version of the oat which is certainly a denser, more rustic bread.
The product of this recipe was sodden, tasteless, and unusable. The amount of home-made oatmeal flour may be the problem, but in any case, the bread was tasteless, and nothing like anything I ever ate in Ireland.
I had this on St. Patrick’s day at my cousin’s. It is WONDERFUL. She did not soak the oatmeal first and also told me it needed a little more liquid, so be prepared to perhaps mess with this recipe a bit.
I love to make bread. But I don’t like this bread at all. Threw out the whole bread. What a waste of my time!
Easy and went over so well with my company for St. Paddy’s! 4 star because it was my first time and I would have liked it a bit nicer formed – my fault not the recipe
This soda bread is a great variation — but you will get a lump of uncooked oats if you follow these directions. Oatmeal soda bread takes much longer to cook than the traditional variety. First, make sure that you flatten the bread to 1-1/2 to 2 inches, or it will never cook in the center. You do not need to bother with the pan, just gently pat it flat on a floured board, roll it in the flour, cut your X and four points (to let the fairies out), then bake it on directly on a stone or a cookie sheet. You might sprinkle whole oats on the baking surface and/or the top of the loaf Bake 450 for 20 minutes, then reduce the temp to 400 and bake at least 30 minutes more, possibly over an hour more — bake it until is sounds hollow. If you do use a baking pan, you may need to turn it out of the pan and return it to the oven upside down to get it to thoroughly cook. The bread is worth it!
I used this recipe for St. Patrick’s this ye in place of my soda bread recipe I got in Ireland and it was a hit. It is moist and keeps better than the traditional bread.