Sweet Irish Soda Bread with Walnuts & Oatmeal

This walnut oatmeal sweet Irish soda bread recipe yields a lightly sweet soda bread, with a rich nutty flavor and a dense yet soft texture that pairs perfectly with a creamy slathering of butter. Try it as a meal side or as breakfast with a hot cup of coffee or tea!

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• Sweet Irish Soda Bread
• Oatmeal Soda Bread Ingredients
• How To Make Irish Soda Bread
• Serving Irish Sweet Soda Bread
• Printable Recipe ↓
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Recipes Using Oats

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

We've been eating a lot of homemade bread around here lately, mainly the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes variety because it's SO. DARN. EASY... But I've been craving a good Irish sweet soda bread for a while now.

Specifically, I've been searching for a recipe that duplicates a walnut oatmeal soda bread that I was served at a little restaurant in Washington D.C. Recreating it has proven to be a challenge, because I've been unable to find anything even remotely similar.

Until a few days ago when I stumbled across an oat soda bread recipe in The Boston Globe that sounded like it a promising starting point! I immediately added buttermilk to my grocery list.

A few tweaks later, I think I'm darn close. It's been many years since I've been to D.C., so it may not be a spot on dupe... But in any case, this sweet Irish soda bread does NOT disappoint! It yields a lightly sweet oat bread, with a rich nutty flavor and a dense yet soft texture.

With a creamy, slathering of butter, it's divine paired with a hot cup of coffee or tea for breakfast or a snack. Or serve it as a side to round out your favorite comfort food meal. It's a keeper!

Oatmeal Soda Bread Ingredients

While this is not a traditional 4-ingredient Irish soda bread recipe, which consists of only flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt, this oatmeal soda bread still comes together fairly quickly.

Using a combination of 3 different kinds of flour, along with a small amount of cream of tartar, results in a softer crumb. The addition of light brown sugar imparts just a hint of sweetness, and buttermilk-soaked rolled oats and walnuts provide flavor and texture.

For extra nutty crunch, I highly recommend toasting the walnuts before you incorporate them into the dough. (See: How To Roast Walnuts for step-by-step instructions.)

My preference is to roast them while the oats are softening up in the buttermilk. This should allow ample time for toasting and cooling, so you can get on with the recipe when the rolled oats are ready.

NOTE: be sure to note that you ONLY soak part of the oatmeal! Soaking it all is a surefire way to derail this recipe from the start. Ask me how I know...

How To Make Irish Soda Bread

Even with the additional ingredients, this is a very easy Irish soda bread recipe! Here's my exact workflow to streamline the process:

1. If you're planning to toast the walnuts, start by turning your oven on and heating it to 400℉. Get the butter out of the fridge and set it on the counter to soften.
2. While the oven is coming to temperature, stir 2 cups of rolled oats and the buttermilk. As soon as the oven is ready, put the sheet pan of nuts in to allow them time to cool. Leave the oven on when you remove the walnuts — the oat soda bread will bake at the same temp.
3. Get a head start on the sweet soda bread dough by prepping the dry ingredients. Whisk together the various flours, remaining oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Then work two tablespoons of softened butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. At the end of the soaking period, stir the oatmeal/buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Use your hands to work it all together, and then knead the dough on a lightly floured surface just until it comes together. Don't worry if it's still be a bit lumpy and shaggy — this is perfectly normal.
5. Form the dough into a 6-inch round disc, and slice an X in the top of it with a serrated knife. Place the disc on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a cast iron pan lined with parchment. Brush with additional buttermilk, and sprinkle oats over top, as desired.
6. Bake at 400℉ for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the bread starts to brown too much, tent a piece of foil over the top to prevent further browning.

Serving Irish Sweet Soda Bread

Allow the bread to cool on a wire cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with an imported Irish butter, like Kerrygold.

Or if you're feeling a little ambitious, make a batch of this homemade heavy cream butter. Just kidding — it's actually SO EASY to make and totally divine on a warm slice of this sweet soda bread!

However you top it, you'll definitely want to make this sweet Irish soda bread well beyond St. Patrick's Day!

Printable Recipe ↓

Walnut Oatmeal Sweet Irish Soda Bread

4.84 from 31 votes

This walnut oatmeal sweet Irish soda bread recipe yields a lightly sweet soda bread, with a rich nutty flavor and a dense yet soft texture that pairs perfectly with a creamy slathering of butter. Try it as a meal side or as breakfast with a hot cup of coffee or tea!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Additional Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Irish

Servings 1 loaf

Calories 146 kcal

Key Equipment

• large glass mixing bowl
• all-purpose whisk
• silicone baking mat
• cast iron everyday pan or rimmed half sheet baking pan
• parchment paper
• serrated bread knife
• silicone pastry brush

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Ingredients

  

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• ▢ 2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats - divided
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour - plus more for shaping
• ▢ ½ cup cake flour
• ▢ ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ▢ ¼ cup light brown sugar - packed
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - at room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup toasted walnuts - chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter - melted for brushing

Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the buttermilk and 2 cups of the rolled oats. Set aside for one hour to soften. Toast the walnuts in the oven while the oats are soaking. (See: How To Roast Walnuts for step-by-step instructions.)
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 400℉.
3. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, whole wheat flour, remaining ½ cup oats, brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Use your fingers to work the 2 tablespoons of softened butter into the flour mixture, until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add the oatmeal/buttermilk mixture and toasted walnuts to the flour mixture, and stir with a fork until combined. You may need use your hands to work it all together.
5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface or baking mat just until the mixture comes together but is still slightly bumpy. Kneading it until it's smooth will overwork the dough and make your bread tough.
6. Form the dough into a 6-inch disc that is about 2 inches high. Using a serrated knife, cut an X in the top of the disc. If desired, brush with a bit of additional buttermilk and sprinkle a small handful of oats over the top.
7. Bake at 400℉ in a cast iron pan or on a parchment-covered baking sheet for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the bread starts to brown too much, a piece of foil tented over the top will prevent further browning.
8. Remove the bread from the oven, and while it's still hot, brush the top with the melted butter. Cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with Irish butter or try making your own homemade butter. (See: How To Make Butter From Heavy Cream for step-by-step instructions.)

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be stored wrapped tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Featured Products

Butter Spreader Knife

Silicone Baking Mat

Cast Iron Everyday Pan

Parchment Paper Half Sheets

Serrated Bread Knife

Silicone Pastry Brush

SHOW NUTRITION INFORMATION HIDE NUTRITION INFORMATION

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 235mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g

Nutrition information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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