Quick Brown Soda Bread (with Oats)

Irish Brown Soda Bread with Oats . . .

This quick brown soda bread recipe is my version of a healthy brown bread. It is fast, filling, and healthy. What more could you want?

When I was 15, my family went on vacation to Ireland. The first night we arrived at our hotel so late that the only restaurant still open was a pub down the block. When we sat down, the server brought over a basket of warm brown bread. I didn’t have high hopes for this bread. But, unexpectedly, I discovered one of the great loves of my life: warm Irish brown soda bread with butter.

The oats give this bread a really good, hearty texture. Even if it wasn’t so quick to make, it would still be my go-to healthy brown bread.

A touch of molasses gives it just a hint of sweetness. If you wanted it sweeter, you could definitely double the amount of molasses — sometimes I eliminate the molasses altogether.

Over the years, I learned many other delicious ways to enjoy this bread. Of course, it is delightful slathered with butter! But I also top it with whipped ricotta and jam. Or cheesy scrambled eggs, chives, and tomatoes. Or some combination of these.

The reason I keep coming back to this quick brown soda bread recipe is that, in addition to it being delicious and healthy (it is made with whole wheat and two types of oats!), it is just SO quick and easy to make. No kneading required. You literally just mix it up and pop it into the oven.

Some mornings I get up, mix this up while I make myself a coffee, pop it in the oven, and then go get the kids up for the day. Then I have the smell of fresh bread to help lure the little ones downstairs, which really doesn’t hurt if the kids are waking up in a difficult mood.

Another of my morning tricks when I’ve relied on muffins a bit too often recently.

Now, on to the brown soda bread recipe!

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