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Let this Honey Buckwheat Soda Bread ease you into the art of bread making. It’s so easy! No kneading or waiting for the bread to prove. Just mix, shape and bake! And with wholesome buckwheat flour and honey for sweetening, you’ll love the taste as well!
For more recipes with buckwheat flour, try our Buckwheat Pancakes or Buckwheat Waffles with Rhubarb Cream.
Nothing can beat homemade bread. But as much as I am a fan of yeasted breads with their chewy crust and airy interior, they are quite a bit of work and take lots of patience as they rise.
It’s why I’m so grateful for soda bread, which is quick, easy and dare I say, just as satisfying. And when baked with carefully chosen ingredients could be especially nourishing.
It’s a bread recipe that is worth having in your repertoire for those moments when only a homemade loaf will do, but time is not on your side!
What is soda bread and where is it from?
Now let’s talk about this bread. Although most closely associated with Ireland, it actually comes from America, as early settlers learned to keep baking bread despite a shortage of yeast. From there it made it back to Ireland, finding it’s final form and much fandom.
Traditionally Irish soda bread is made with wholemeal flour. It’s soft and crumbly in texture as opposed to its brother yeasted bread, which is light and airy.
There is no need for yeast here. The baking soda does the job of adding an airy lift to the loaf.
It also always has a cross cut into the top of the dough. Although there are religious stories about this approach, it actually has a practical purpose in allowing the dough to rise properly.
Is soda bread difficult to make?
This bread is definitely in competition for the world’s easiest loaf! Just mix all ingredients, form a rough loaf, after all it is half of the appeal, score a cross on top with a This is an affiliate link.sharp knife, pop in the oven. Just 45 minutes later, you can enjoy it with butter, honey or whatever you love most.
I chose to use buckwheat flour as I love the nutty taste it comes with. This wholemeal flour gives the bread a lot of character. It is naturally gluten free and soda breads are usually made with low gluten flours, so mixing the two makes sense.
The addition of honey instead of sugar scents the entire loaf, which in combination with the smell of buckwheat, makes it irresistible.
The best part is you don’t have to run to specialty shops. I found all these items at my local supermarket.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- You can also make soda bread using 100% buckwheat flour, making this loaf gluten free.
- This bread dough doesn’t require a lot of kneading, but some is important. This is the time to gauge whether the consistency is right. Add a bit of flour if it is too loose, and buttermilk if it’s too dry.
- It’s important to cut a cross into the top of the dough before adding to the oven. Not only does this give the traditional look to the loaf, it allows it to rise properly as it bakes.
Serving suggestions
This soda bread is equally tasty with butter and jam as it is spread with a little bit of soft goat cheese or cream cheese, but my son’s favourite is maple peanut butter and blackcurrant jam!
Or to make it even more friendly, try with my version of homemade nutella!
Storage and Leftovers
Soda bread is best enjoyed on the day it’s been baked. I don’t find that it stores very well, so only make it when I’m sure it’ll be eaten.
But if you do need to keep it longer, keep it at room temperature and put away in a breadbox, airtight container or plastic wrap so it doesn’t lose moisture. It can last up to 3 days.
If you are enjoying after the first day, toasting soda bread will produce the best results.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Just let it cool and seal it in plastic wrap or a bag.
More bread recipes
Honey Buckwheat Soda Bread with Sea Salt
Ingredients
- 275g / 2½ cups bread flour
- 200g / 1⅔ cups wholemeal buckwheat flour
- 350ml / 1½ cup buttermilk
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1 egg, large
- 1 tsp runny honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sea salt, to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375F.
- Combine both flours, baking soda, salt in a mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl whisk buttermilk with the egg and honey.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and then pour in the wet mixture. Start mixing with a wooden spoon until comes together. Alternatively you can mix it in a stand mixer.
- Turn out the dough on a flour surface and gently knead until smooth. It shouldn’t take longer than 20-30 seconds. Add a little extra flour if you find the dough is too wet and sticky or a bit more buttermilk if it’s too dry.
- Shape into a ball and put on a floured baking sheet. Sprinkle with more flour and score a cross on it and top with flaky sea salt such as Maldon or your favourite.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until the bread sounds hollow if you tap on it.
Video
Notes
- To make this loaf gluten free, use only buckwheat flour.
- The kneading step is the best time to adjust the consistency of the dough if needed. Add a little flour if it is too loose and buttermilk if it feels too dry.
- Cutting a cross into the top of the dough before baking is important to ensure that the loaf rises properly while baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely delicious. I made my own buckwheat flour from groats because that was what I had on hand. I baked the bread for exactly 40 minutes and it came out perfect. One of the easiest bread recipes I ever tried. I can not wait to make your Rosemary Sprout Bread next. Thank you for such a great recipe and video. Very easy to follow the instructions.
I am so thrilled you loved it Tina!
I don’t need to follow a gluten free diet, but I have substituted cereal with buckwheat grains in the morning and wanted to add it in bread as well. Buckwheat is proven to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and does not affect your blood glucose level, so you want feel hungry an hour after you have consumed it.
how can I make this gluten free? I need a decent bread for this paleo diet I am on. Not a fan of almond flour maybe coconut or cassava.
Thanks
Buckwheat flour is gluten free, so I would suggest using 100% buckwheat flour in this recipe.
Hi can I use this same recipe in a bread maker machine
This recipe is not suitable for a bread maker as it is not a yeasted bread, Tina.
Made this recipe with 100% buckwheat flour and milk instead of buttermilk. I had to add more flour at the end but the result was fantastic! The beat gluten free bread i have ever tried
I am so glad to hear that even with 100% buckwheat flour this soda bread still turns out well. Thank you for letting me know, Maria!
thank you thats what I wanted to know
Hi, not a success for me I’m afraid, 475g flour to 350ml liquid seems wrong. It was more like a batter than a dough. I needed to add a lot more flour.
Hi Ian, quite a few people made this recipe using this exact proportion with no issues as you can see from the comments. Did you use buttermilk for your liquid as it’s much thicker than regular milk?
I’ve made this twice now, the first time it was raw in the middle (but we saved it by making bruschetta)…and I’ve just made it for the second time but had to cook it for 1.5 hours at gas mark 5 (loosely covered with foil once brown enough on the outside). It’s turned out lovely. I also used oat milk as this is all I had. Yum. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Cheryl, I am so glad you enjoyed this bread recipe. The first time I baked it the middle didn’t cook all the way through, so I tested it again and again. What I came to is soda bread needs to be scored deeper than usual to allow it to cook evenly. I think buckwheat flour plays a part in it too as it’s quite gummy. In the video attached to this recipe you can see how deeply it’s scored. I hope this helps!! 🙂
What can I use instead of buttermilk. Could I use coconut Jon dairy milk?
I am sorry I have no experience with that product, Wendy.
Hi Wendy, I use soya milk with the juice of 1 lemon to make an alternative to dairy buttermilk. I think you can use any plant milk . Hope this helps 🙂
Just make Buttermilk from plant milk. Lots of recipes for doing that on web.
Hi Julia,
I made soda bread recently for my partner but due to allergies my daughter and I can only eat buckwheat flour at the moment so I’m very excited about this version. We can’t have eggs / milk and I was wondering if fruit puree and oil/ water might work?
I’ve made buckwheat bread with just ground groats and water ( soaked , ground and left to “rise” in the oven all day before cooking – It’s a little sourdough like ), crazy cupcakes with buckwheat flour and flour and water pancakes but I am keen to branch out.
This also looks wonderfully quick ! Our daughter is nearly 1 so quick is good 🙂
And I forgot to add – thank you for your site and recipes I’m really enjoying reading them.
Hi Deborah, I can’t be sure about substituting the egg without testing it but you should definitely experiment and let me know! Thank you for reading, it’s so great to hear you are enjoying my website!
Hi Julia
I’ve just made your buckwheat and honey soda bread.
I used only buckwheat flour. It was a bit crusty on top, but once you get past that and get use to the taste. I found it ok. I can’t stand the gluten free bread that you buy in the supermarket.
I was very happy with the outcome of your recipe today.
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Yvonne! Yes, buckwheat flour taste is definitely something that takes getting used to and that is why I mixed it with the wheat flour. Of course, I understand it’s not possible to do if you follow the gluten-free diet.
I was just gifted some buckwheat and rye flours. I want to try this bread with the buckwheat but have a question. What is very strong Canadian bread flour compared to? Should I use stone ground whole wheat or do I need to use a bread flour (white)? This looks amazing!
Strong Canadian bread flour is simply white bread flour of high quality. You can use whole wheat or white flour for this recipe, Suzanne.