Nutrition Budgeteer: A Green Twist on Irish Soda Bread

Dilly Whole Grain Irish Soda Bread

The theme for Recipe Redux for March is to think green – green herbs used in unusual ways.

For me, nothing says St. Patrick’s Day better than Irish soda bread. So to add a twist to the standard recipe, I added 1 cup of finely chopped dill to the batter. I also wanted to make it healthier so instead of white flour, I used white wheat flour, flaxseed meal, and oat bran.

Are you familiar with white wheat flour? It’s in most supermarkets. It has the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour but has the color of bleached white flour.

White Wheat Flour

Here’s the full recipe.

Dilly Whole Grain Irish Soda Bread

This recipe is a perfect accompaniment to an Irish meal, whether toast for breakfast, a sandwich of lunch, or bread with dinner. It uses a combination of white wheat flour, oat bran, and ground flaxseed meal. One loaf is about $3.34, or about $0.21 a serving.

Ingredients:

3-1/4 cups (13 ounces) white wheat flour

1/4 cup finely ground oat bran

1/4 cup whole ground flaxseed meal

1 cup finely chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

2 cups buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Combine flour, oat bran, flaxseed meal, dill, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in large bowl. In a small bowl, beat egg. Add buttermilk to egg and stir to combine. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir just until combined and soft dough has formed. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times or until dough is smooth. Form the dough into a large round mound and place on prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut a 4-inch long shallow cut in the middle of the mound. Bake for 45 minutes or until bread is browned on top and a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool. Cut into 16 to 18 thin slices.

Makes 1 loaf (16 to 18 slices).

Nutrition Information per Serving (1/16 of a loaf):

122 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber, 5 g protein, and 208 mg sodium. One serving of this low cost recipe provides a good source of fiber and calcium.

Cost per Serving (1/16 of a loaf): $0.21

Pricing Note: all ingredients were at “regular” prices. (Fresh dill was found for $2.59 for one large bunch.)

Click here to download and print a copy of Dilly Whole Grain Irish Soda Bread.

Here are some preparation photos.