This cheesy wholemeal soda bread with yoghurt has to be the easiest bread recipe ever. Just pop your ingredients into a bowl and give them a quick mix. Shape into a ball, flatten slightly and pop in the oven. No kneading, no yeast, no waiting for it to rise - just mix and bake. Even a child could do it!
Have you got a spare 10 minutes and a few basic pantry ingredients? Why not whip up a cheesy wholemeal soda bread to dunk in your homemade beef vegetable soup, serve as part of a ploughman's platter with ham and cheese, or simply use it to make yourself a sandwich for lunch? If you're looking for other ways to serve it, I heartily recommend spreading it with this amazing mushroom pate.
This soda bread has a beautifully soft texture, with a crispy crust that wouldn't be out of place in an artisan bakery. And with 10 minutes to mix and only 3 main ingredients, you could make it yourself in no time.
Traditionally, soda bread is made with buttermilk, but I decided to make this version with yoghurt instead. I used thick Greek yoghurt which I thinned down slightly with a little milk, and I was delighted with the result. The texture was super soft, and the crusty was crisp and chewy - just as it should be!
There's no yeast involved - so you don't have to knead it, and because there's no yeast you don't have to leave it for hours to rise. Just mix and bake! Job done!
There's no magic involved - just 2 simple secrets.
The first secret is to use bicarbonate of soda as the rising agent. Now bicarbonate of soda by itself won't make dough rise, but if you add an acidic ingredient such as yoghurt (which I've used) or buttermilk, the acidity reacts with the bicarb to create little bubbles of carbon dioxide which cause the dough to rise.
The second secret is to use a mixture of half and half wholemeal and plain flour. Wholemeal flour provides the nutty texture that is characteristic of wholemeal bread, whereas plain flour provides the gluten that gives the bread its strength and rise. Bread made with just wholemeal flour does not rise as much as bread made with white flour, because the wholemeal contains shards of grain husks, which cut through the gluten. Combining white flour with wholemeal flour acts to combat this. In addition, the plain flour provides a lighter texture than wholemeal flour alone.
Normally, I find that quickbreads tend to go stale and become unappetising the next day. But not this one. I mixed some leftover chicken with my homemade one-minute mayonnaise, spread it onto slices of wholemeal soda bread the next day, and made a pile of open sandwiches for lunch. There wasn't a crumb left!
Let me show you how to make it. This won't take long 🙂
What you will need
Equipment
You will need a large mixing bowl to mix the dough. I like to use an old-fashioned earthenware bowl because there's lots of room to get your hands in without the flour falling out.
For baking the soda bread you will need a baking tray, which you can optionally line with baking parchment to prevent the bread from sticking to the tray.
Ingredients
You can get the complete recipe including detailed instructions on how to make this cheesy wholemeal soda bread on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Prep time - 10 minutes
- Baking time - 35 - 40 minutes
- Yield - 1 small loaf
Flour - for this recipe, I used a mixture of half plain flour and half wholemeal flour. You could substitute wholemeal flour with plain flour if you don't have any wholemeal, but the texture of the bread will be different. Do not use self-raising flour!
Parmesan cheese - I used ready-grated parmesan for convenience. You could grate your own if you prefer. Most of the parmesan cheese will be mixed into the soda bread, the remainder will be sprinkled on top before the bread goes into the oven. If you don't want to add cheese to your soda bread leave it out.
Bicarbonate of soda - I believe this is called baking soda in the US. It is not the same as baking powder.
Yoghurt - You will need one cup of thick Greek or Natural yoghurt, thinned out slightly with one-quarter cup of milk. If you don't have yoghurt, you could use an equivalent amount of buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own by mixing one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with one cup of milk and letting it stand for 10 minutes to curdle or thicken. The acidity from the lemon juice or vinegar will react with the bicarb to make the bread rise.
Salt - I always add a little salt to baked goods. If you are on a salt-free diet you can leave it out.
What to do
Place all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Keep about 2 tablespoons of yoghurt aside - you may not need it all. It can be added in at the next step if you need more.
Using a spatula, mix the dough until it starts to come together in a shaggy ball. Add the remainder of the yoghurt if necessary.
If you find that the dough is too sticky, simply add a little more flour until the dough becomes manageable.
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it lightly until it comes together. Form it into a ball and press down gently to flatten it slightly. Do not overwork the dough.
Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top and press it down gently so that it sticks to the dough.
Transfer the dough to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and make a deep cross on the top of the dough. Cut about halfway through the thickness - don't cut all the way to the bottom.
Place the baking tray into a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 35 - 40 minutes until the bread is well-risen. The bread will be cooked when a wooden skewer inserted into the thickest part comes out cleanly, or when the bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Remove from the oven, cover with a cloth and allow to cool.
If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.
Note - this soda bread does not rise a great deal, but what it lacks in height it makes up in taste and texture.
Tips and FAQ
Soda bread gets its name from the bicarbonate of soda that is used as a raising agent.
The cross on top of the soda bread helps the heat penetrate the dough more evenly, leading to a better-baked load.
Legend has it that soda bread originated in Ireland and that the cross was to 'let the devil out' while the bread was baking.
Don't overdo the bicarbonate of soda or your bread might develop a metallic taste.
The actual amount of liquid will depend on the strength and absorbancy of your flour. When making bread, always keep one or two tablespoons of liquid aside and only add it if you find the dough is too dry.
Save for later
Why not pin this cheesy wholemeal soda bread recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other easy bread recipes
You may like to try these other easy no-knead bread recipes:
Visit my bread and scone recipes page for other delicious bakes.
📋The recipe
Easy Wholemeal Soda Bread
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Kitchen scales or
- Measuring jug
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Baking sheet
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups / 175 grams wholemeal flour
- 1¼ cups / 175 grams plain or all purpose flour
- 1 cup / 240 ml Greek or Natural thick yoghurt
- ½ cup / 60 grams grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup 60 ml milk full-fat or semi-skimmed
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tablespoons / 15 grams grated parmesan cheese for topping
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 2000°C / 400°F
- Mix the milk into the yoghurt in a small bowl.1 cup / 240 ml Greek or Natural thick yoghurt, ¼ cup 60 ml milk
- Place all the ingredients except the extra cheese into a mixing bowl. Also keep 2 tablespoons of the yoghurt/milk mixture aside in case you don't need all the liquid.1¼ cups / 175 grams wholemeal flour, 1¼ cups / 175 grams plain or all purpose flour, ½ cup / 60 grams grated parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Using a spatula, mix the dough until it starts to come together in a shaggy ball. Add the remainder of the yoghurt if necessary.
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it lightly until it comes together. Form it into a ball and press down gently to flatten it slightly.
- Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top and press it down gently so that it sticks to the dough.2 tablespoons / 15 grams grated parmesan cheese
- Cut a cross into the top of the dough, pressing the knife down about half way through.
- Transfer the dough to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and make a deep cross on the top of the dough. Cut about halfway through the thickness - don't cut all the way to the bottom.
- Place the baking tray into a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 35 - 40 minutes until the bread is well-risen. The bread will be cooked when a wooden skewer inserted into the thickest part comes out cleanly, or when the bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
- Remove from the oven, cover with a cloth and allow to cool.
Notes
- swap the wholemeal flour with all purpose flour;
- you can leave out the parmesan cheese if you prefer;
- do not swap the bicarbonate of soda for baking powder;
- Use buttermilk in place of the yoghurt and milk;
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!
If you'd like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!