This recipe is almost identical to its brother, except it uses half all-purpose flour, and half whole wheat.

The texture is very similar, but the difference in taste is noticeable.

Whole wheat Irish soda bread goes great with soups and stews. But it’s also a great way to make egg salad sandwiches. (If you like egg salad you will love it on this bread!)

It’s actually pretty versatile, and since it doesn’t require any yeast, it’s quicker and easier to make up than most other breads, which is great for weeknights.

How to make it

This is honestly really easy to make.

First, combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Second, combine all the wet ingredients in a second bowl. (A pint-sized glass or measuring cup will also do nicely.)

Third, combine all the ingredients until you can no longer see any dry flour in the bowl.

Now, similar to how I make my Quick and Easy Cast Iron Soda Bread, cover it with a towel and let it rest for a good 30 minutes or so.

You can skip that step and go straight to cooking, but in my opinion it comes out better if you let it have a little rest.

When you’re ready to cook it, transfer the dough into an 8-inch cast iron skillet, and bake on the center rack of the oven at 400 degrees for about 35-40 minutes, or until the crust has taken on a slightly darker color.

Remove it from the oven and transfer immediately to a cooling rack – otherwise, the bottom crust will keep cooking in the hot cast iron, and it could burn.

You can eat the bread hot and it will be AMAZING! But you can also let it cool for 30-45 minutes, and it’ll be easier to slice (and to touch).

Why I like this recipe

Substituting half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour creates a whole different kind of soda bread – one that you can serve with just about any dinner and have your friends and family “ooh” and “ahh.”

(Whereas the more traditional Irish soda bread usually gets eaten by itself at my house as soon as it comes out of the oven, leaving nothing to actually serve with dinner.)

*cue sad violin music*

Well, I suppose this version is also good enough to eat all on its own… but I like being able to serve it with a meal… it just makes it all the more fun, in my opinion.

But don’t take it from me!

Make it yourself tonight, and then come back tomorrow and let me know what you think.