My husband and I can't get enough of this bread! The recipe makes 3 loaves for us because I use meatloaf pans that are 7" x 4". We pop the extra in the freezer to use at a later date. My mother-in-law is Irish and ate soda bread growing up. She enjoys this recipe too. I have been meaning to share it with her, so now you benefit too!
This recipe comes from Susan B. Roberts and Betty Kelly Sargent's book The "I" Diet: Use Your Instincts to Lose Weight and Keep it off Without Feeling Hungry. One day soon I hope to post a review of this book, which is based on changing your body instincts (I) to help curb hunger and cravings. For now I will say that I love it because it has meal plans for those who eat meat and those who don't, as well as those who have time to cook and those who eat on the go.
I must say I love 2 slices of this at breakfast time with some almond butter (or if I am feeling cheeky, Nutella) spread on top.
*Note there is no yeast in this recipe, so it can be baked right away.
1. Lightly grease two 9 x 4 x 3 inch loaf tins.
2. Place wheat berries in a saucepan with plenty of water and let simmer until grains are plump and some are starting to break open, about 45 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C.
5. Place the whole-wheat flour, bran, white bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
6. Add the drained wheat berries to the dry mixture and mix again.
7. Add 3 1/4 cups of buttermilk and stir to mix well to make a stiff dough with no dry flour in it. Because flour is drier at certain times of year, you might have to add 1/4 cup or more of buttermilk.
8. Divide dough in half, place each half into prepared loaf pan, and pat it into the pan.
9. Bake bread until loaves are slightly browned and have pulled away from the side of the pan. A skewer inserted in the center will come out dry when the bread is done.
10. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
11. Slices freeze well and can be thawed in microwave or toasted.
High fiber variation: If you are somebody who gets really hungry, add 1/4 cup of corn bran to dry ingredients for more fiber.
This recipe makes 40 thin slices.
Each slice has 72 calories, 3.2g protein, 0.5g total fat, 0.1g saturated fat, 16.4g total carbohydrates, and 3.8g dietary fiber.
Here is a photo from my phone (my apologies) of the yield. My mouth is watering just looking at it!