Recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Brown Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is one of those dishes that everyone in America associates with St. Patrick's Day, and here you'll find many variations on the recipe, even though soda bread in Ireland traditionally contains only flour, baking soda, salt, and sour milk or buttermilk. Probably we should be calling our bread Irish American Soda Bread, but no matter what you call it, this bread is easy to make and delicious. For this version I've used a combination of white whole wheat and whole wheat flour with added wheat bran and wheat germ to make it relatively South Beach Diet friendly, although the recipe does contain a small amount of butter and brown sugar.

The fact that this is the third variation of Irish Soda Bread to show up on Kalyn's Kitchen shows how food blogging has changed my life, because when I started this blog in 2005, I'd never dreamed of making Irish Soda Bread. Then a few years ago I started hearing about it, and found out that my slightly Irish father loves it, and I've been trying a new variation ever year since. Have you ever made true Irish or Irish American Soda Bread? If so, please share your recipe or a link in the comments.

Mix together white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, toasted wheat bran, wheat germ, oatmeal crumbs, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.

The recipe called for cutting the butter into tiny pieces, but my butter was frozen so I peeled the wrapped down to the 2 T mark and grated it with the large side of a grater. This worked really well.

Here's how the grated butter looked before I mixed it in with my fingers.

Pinch the butter into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Measure out 2 cups of buttermilk, then add it by half cups until the mixture becomes a loose dough. (In Utah where it's very dry I used the entire 2 cups of buttermilk, but you might not need it all.)

Here's how my dough looked after the buttermilk was all mixed in.

Scrape the dough into a 9 inch x 5 inch x 3 inch loaf pan that you've sprayed with olive oil or nonstick spray. (I smoothed the top down with my fingers but later I thought that maybe I shouldn't have!)

Here's how my Brown Soda Bread looked after it baked for 43 minutes at 425F/220C. Let it cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes, then eat warm. I ate it with my favorite Brummel & Brown Natural Yogurt Spread, but if you're not a South Beach Dieter, butter would be heavenly too.

100% Whole Wheat Brown Soda Bread
Makes one large loaf of brown soda bread, recipe adapted slightly from The Bon Appetit Cookbook.)

1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3 T toasted wheat bran
3 T toasted wheat germ
2 T oatmeal (I used oatmeal "crumbs" that has been ground in the food processor)
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (I used fine grind sea salt)
2 T cold butter, either cut into small cubes or grated on the large side of a cheese grater
2 cups buttermilk (you may not need it all, but measure out 2 cups just in case)

Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Spray a 9 inch x 5 inch x 3 inch loaf pan with olive oil or nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, toasted wheat bran, toasted wheat germ, oatmeal or oatmeal crumbs, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt and mix together well.

Cut butter into small cubes or grate with the large side of a cheese grater, then add butter to the flour mixture. Wash and dry your hands, then use your fingers to pinch the butter into the flour until it's well combined and the mixture resembles coarsely ground cornmeal.

Measure out 2 cups of buttermilk. Add buttermilk to the flour/butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each 1/2 cup of buttermilk is added. Keep adding buttermilk until you have a loose dough. (Depending on where you live and how dry your flour is, you may not need all the buttermilk.)

Scrape the dough into the sprayed loaf pan. Bake until the bread is very brown and a toothpick inserted into the very center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. (I baked the bread in these photos for exactly 43 minutes.) Run a knife around the edge of the pan and tip bread out onto a cooling rack and let it cool 10-15 minutes on rack before cutting.

Irish soda bread can be eaten hot, and it also makes wonderful toast. This type of brown soda bread with a little butter in the recipe will keep a little longer than some types of Irish soda bread, but it's still best eaten the day you make it or the next day.

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South Beach Suggestions:

This recipe has a small amount of brown sugar and butter, both of which are not recommended for the South Beach Diet, but considering that the loaf of bread makes at least 10-12 slices, the amount of these ingredients in each serving is still very small. I think this could be eaten once in a while for phase 2 or 3 of the diet, and especially if you're Irish and it's St. Patrick's day!

More Versions of Irish American Soda Bread You Might Like
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Agave-Sweetened 100% Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread from Kalyn's Kitchen
White Whole Wheat and Oatmeal Irish Soda Bread from Kalyn's Kitchen
Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread from Gluten-Free Goddess
Caraway Soda Bread from Simply Recipes
Irish Soda Bread from The Perfect Pantry
Irish Soda Bread from Andrea Meyers
Agnes O'Sullivan's Brown Bread from Tea and Cookies
Irish Soda Bread from The Nourishing Gourmet
Irish Soda Bread Muffins from Kitchen Parade
Irish Soda Bread from Lisa's Kitchen
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Kalyn's Kitchen Picks: Brummel & Brown Natural Yogurt Spread

It's been a while since I added something to my list of Kalyn's Kitchen Picks, where I share my recommendations for food or kitchen products I'd happily buy over and over. This Brummel & Brown Yogurt Spread was recommended by a reader named Alan, and I'm loving it on my whole wheat toast dipped into Eggs Fried in Olive Oil. No one likes the flavor of real butter more than I do, and turning butter into an occasional indulgence was one of the hardest changes I had to make when I started cooking the South Beach Diet way. This spread made with vegetable oil and yogurt is the best-tasting butter alternative I've found. It does have water as the first ingredient, so this isn't something I'd use for sauteing food, but for spreading on toast or melting over vegetables, the flavor of this is great.

Here is the nutritional information for Brummel & Brown Yogurt Spread. Most important to me in those numbers is that this spread only has 1 gram of saturated fat, and zero trans fats, cholesterol, or sugar. I don't count calories, but it has about half the calories of butter, with about half as much fat. I haven't tried using it in baking or cooking, but the Brummel & Brown site does have some recipes showing ideas.

South Beach Friendly Breads I'd Eat With This Spread:
White Whole Wheat and Oatmeal Irish Soda Bread
Agave-Sweetened 100% Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
100% White Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil (not bread machine)
Bread Machine Recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Bread with Oats, Bran, and Flax Seed
Bread Machine Recipe for Whole Wheat Bread with Bulgur Wheat, Oats, Bran, and Flax Seed Meal

Full Disclosure about Things Featured for Kalyn's Kitchen Picks:

All products selected for Kalyn's Kitchen Picks are things I use in my own kitchen that I would happily purchase over and over. Most products featured are items I purchase myself, but when I do (rarely) feature a product that was sent to me for review, I will always mention that I first tried the product when I received it as a sample.

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Recipe for Roasted Cabbage with Lemon

My friend Robin lives about 45 minutes away from Salt Lake, so sometimes when she has an early morning meeting she stays at my house. Last Friday was one of those nights, and since Robin loves cabbage I knew it would be a perfect time to test this recipe. I first spotted Roasted Cabbage with Lemon on a blog called Eat Repeat and bookmarked it to try, and then when I was talking to my friend Mary (another cabbage lover) she told me how she roasts red cabbage, so you can bet I'll be trying that soon as well.

Robin and I loved this roasted cabbage so much I made it again the very next day to take photos for the blog. If you like cabbage at all, I'm guessing you'll love it too. And if you're going to be cooking Corned Beef and Cabbage next week for St. Patrick's Day, I recommend cooking the cabbage this way and serving it with the corned beef. I'm going to do that when I make Corned Beef and Cabbage for my corned-beef loving dad, and now that I've completely converted my dad to the idea of roasted vegetables, I bet he's going to love this new way to cook cabbage as well.

Start preheating oven, then cut one head of cabbage into 8 wedges, cutting through the core. I trimmed the stem end a little, but next time I might leave the stem on before I cut the wedges so less leaves fall off.

Carefully trim the strip of core on the edge of each cabbage wedge and lay cabbage wedges on a baking sheet so they aren't crowded.

Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. I used 2 T olive oil and 2 T lemon juice, but next time I'd add another Tablespoon of lemon juice and make it even more lemony.)

Use a pastry brush to brush the top sides of the cabbage with the olive oil/lemon juice mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn carefully and repeat with the second side.

Roast cabbage 15 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is nicely browned, then turn each piece carefully.

Then roast the cabbage 10-15 minutes more on the second side, or until it's done to your liking. I cooked mine about 12 minutes more, and it was still a little chewy when we ate it. A perfect side dish!

Serve the cabbage hot, with extra lemon slices for people to squeeze on a bit more lemon juice if they'd like.

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon
Makes 3-4 servings as a side dish, recipe adapted slightly from Roasted Cabbage with Lemon at Eat Repeat.

1 medium-sized head of green cabbage
2 T olive oil
2-3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used 2 T for the cabbage in these photos, but next time I'd use even more lemon)
generous amount of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
lemon slices, for serving cabbage (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F/232C. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil.

Cut the head of cabbage into 8 same-size wedges, cutting through the core and stem end. Then carefully trim the core strip and stem from each wedge and arrange wedges in a single layer on the roasting pan (leave some space around them as much as you can.)

Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice (use the larger amount of lemon juice if you like a lot of lemon like I do.) Then use a pastry brush to brush the top sides of each cabbage wedge with the mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn cabbage wedges carefully, then brush the second side with the olive oil/lemon juice mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Roast cabbage for about 15 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Then turn each wedge carefully and roast 10-15 minutes more, until the cabbage is nicely browned and cooked through with a bit of chewiness remaining. Serve hot, with additional lemon slices to squeeze lemon juice on at the table if desired.

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South Beach Suggestions:

Not only is cabbage a wonderfully nutritious cruciferous vegetable, but it's also one of the most low-glycemic vegetables around, making this a perfect side dish or vegetarian main dish for any phase of the South Beach Diet. The day I made the recipe again to take photos, I had a big plate of roasted cabbage for lunch and loved it, but this would be perfect to serve with Corned Beef for St. Patrick's Day, or as a side dish for roasted sausages, roasted chicken, or pork chops.

More Tasty Ways to Eat Your Cabbage:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Napa Cabbage and Red Cabbage Salad with Fresh Herbs and Peanuts from Kalyn's Kitchen
Ham and Cabbage Soup with Red Bell Pepper from Kalyn's Kitchen
Greek Cabbage Salad with Feta and Thyme from Kalyn's Kitchen
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage from Simply Recipes
Braised Green Cabbage with Onion, Carrot, and a Poached Egg from Orangette
Easy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls from Wasabimon
Quick and Spicy Chinese Cabbage Pickle from Just Hungry
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Navy Bean and Refried Bean Stew Recipe with Ham, Leeks, and Tomatoes

In Utah we had a short little taste of warm weather, but now the lawn is covered with snow again and it seems like soup or stew is back on the menu. I created this recipe for a bean stew with leeks, ham, and tomatoes earlier in the winter when I was having guests for a soup and stew lunch. The recipe was partly inspired by an abundance of leeks and leftover ham, and the lackluster photo might have kept it from making an appearance on the blog, but when my nephew Jake and my brother Rand (two confirmed foodies) both raved about the flavors in this stew, I knew I should post it even if the photos didn't really show off its inner beauty.

The one thing that's most unusual about the recipe is the addition of a can of refried beans to thicken the stew, and I loved the flavor combination of pinto beans and navy beans here. Leeks are an ingredient I don't use often, so if you're put off by the idea of using them in this recipe, I'm sure you could just use more onion and skip the leeks. I also used a fancy Spanish sherry vinegar stirred in at the end, but any vinegar with a good flavor would work.

I cooked 2 cups of navy beans in the pressure cooker to get 4 cups of cooked navy beans, but you can also use 2 cans of navy beans, rinsed and drained. Any type of white beans will probably work.

Cut off the dark green ends of the leeks, then cut leeks in half lengthwise and cut into small slices.

Leeks can be gritty, so after I sliced them I rinsed the leeks well with cold water.

Start by sauteing the chopped onion and leeks in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes, or until they start to soften.

Add minced garlic, dried thyme, and dried Greek oregano and saute about 2 minutes more.

Add one can petite dice tomatoes, the cooked beans, diced ham, and 3 1/2 cups ham stock and let the mixture start to simmer. (If you don't have ham stock, I'd use chicken stock with a little bit of ham flavor base added.)

Mix the other 1/2 cup of ham stock with the refried beans.

Then stir the thinned refried beans into the stew and set at a low simmer. Season generously with fresh ground black pepper.

Simmer on low for an hour or two, or until the stew has thickened and flavors have blended to your liking. When you think the stew is ready, stir in 2 T Spanish Sherry vinegar (or other vinegar of your choice) and serve hot.

Navy Bean and Refried Bean Stew with Ham, Leeks, and Tomatoes
(Makes 6-8 servings; recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from leftover ham in the fridge and a few leeks hanging out in the crisper.)

4 cups cooked navy beans or small white beans or 2 cans (15 oz.) navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped small
2 leeks, white and light green parts, cut into thin half slices
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes
2 cups diced ham
4 cups ham stock (or use chicken stock with a little Ham Flavored Concentrate added)
1 can (16 oz.) refried pinto beans
generous amount fresh ground black pepper (do not add salt, the ham stock and ham will make it salty enough)
2 T Spanish sherry vinegar or other flavorful vinegar of your choice

To get 4 cups cooked beans either start with 2 cups dried beans and cook in pressure cooker, soak 2 cups dried beans overnight and simmer in water until beans are soft, or use 2 cans navy beans, rinsed in cold water until no more foam appears. (Using canned beans will make the stew slightly thinner because 2 cans beans is slightly less than 4 cups cooked beans.)

Dice the onion into pieces smaller than 1/2 inch. Cut off dark green ends of the leeks, cut in half lengthwise, then slice the leeks into thin half slices. Put leeks in salad spinner or small colander and rinse well with cold water and spin dry or let drain.

Heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot, add onions and leeks and saute until they start to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic, dried thyme, and dried Greek oregano and saute about 2 minutes more.

Add diced tomatoes and juice, cooked beans, diced ham, and 3 1/2 cups of the ham stock and let mixture come to a simmer. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup ham stock with the can of refried beans, then stir into the stew.

Season generously with fresh ground black pepper and let the mixture simmer on low for 1-2 hours, or until the stew has thickened and flavors have blended to your liking. Stir in 2 T Spanish sherry vinegar (or any vinegar you like the flavor of) and serve hot.

Printer Friendly Recipe
South Beach Suggestions:
If making this for the South Beach Diet, it's important to use lean ham. Otherwise, everything in this recipe is a low-glycemic ingredient, making it a great option for all phases of the diet.

More Bean Stews You Might Like:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Crockpot Recipe for Sausage, Peppers, and Cannellini Bean Stew from Kalyn's Kitchen
Cannellini Bean and Lentil Stew with Ham from Kalyn's Kitchen
Crockpot Recipe for Black Bean Stew with Roasted Red Pepper, Chicken, and Cilantro from Kalyn's Kitchen
Fennel and White Bean Stew from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew from Guilty Kitchen
Pinto and Black Bean Stew from Eggs on Sunday
Savory French Bean Stew from Blog Appetit
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Five Fun Things on Friday (3-5-10)

Photo of Winter Tomato Soup by Lydia of Soup Chick

Friday night again, and it's time for another round-up of fun and news items I thought were fun this week. If you have something fun to share, we'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Fun Thing #1: Lydia Has a New Blog About Soup!

I still remember years ago when I discovered The Perfect Pantry, a delightful blog about ingredients written by Lydia Walshin, a food writer from Rhode Island. Now fast forward about four years, Lydia and I are great friends, and she has a new blog all about soup. If you'd like to discover a fun new blog, go and visit Soup Chick and tell Lydia I sent you.

Fun Thing #2: The Provo Daily Herald Interviews Me About Superfoods!

When I started blogging I certainly never dreamed that people would be interviewing me, but it's always fun when it happens, especially when there's a local connection. Recently Cody Clark from Utah's Provo Daily Herald interviewed me for an article with the fun title It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Quinoa! And 12 Other Superfoods. Check it out for ideas on how to get more nutritious foods into your diet.

Fun Thing #3: Tips for PR People from 5 Second Rule

It must have been a bad week for PR pitches, because after I got a particularly silly offer I wrote on Twitter, "Dear National Brand, Why would I want to create a recipe/photo for your site and then link to it from my blog FOR FREE?" and then Cheryl from 5 Second Rule made me laugh out loud with a post called 5 Friendly Tips for Seducing Bloggers. If you're a blogger, don't miss this!

Fun Thing #4: Nurse Nut Picks Me for Top 50 Blogs to Help You Live Healthy

The internet is full of lists like this, and truthfully I don't usually pay much attention to them, but I'm pleased to be among some rather good company on the list from Nurse Nut of Top 50 Blogs to Help You Live Healthy. You may find some good new reads on this list if you're interested in healthy living.

Fun Thing #5: Things to Say To Your Children

One blogger I've admired for a long time is Barbara from Winos and Foodies and her list of Things to Say To Your Children was spot-on. If you're a parent, print that list and put it on your fridge. (And the retro photos of Barbara, her husband, and kids are pretty fun too.)

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There are two ways to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
You can become a fan of Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook.
Sometimes you can see what I'm doing on Twitter.
Here is another place where I write more about food.