Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Muffins

These Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Muffins are the perfect start to a lazy, cold March Sunday morning. Speckled with raisins, they are sweet and perfect to enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Irish soda bread gets its name from baking soda, which leavens it instead of yeast. This easy Irish Soda Bread Muffin recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, and you can whip them up in no time. Plus, making them in muffin tins is perfect for better portion control, and you can freeze the extras! Enjoy them St Patrick’s Day with my Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage!

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Muffin Ingredients

• Flour: I used a combination of King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour and unbleached all-purpose flour, and the flavor and texture were perfect. They don’t taste whole wheat at all.
• Baking Powder is a combination of baking soda and an acid, and it activates when liquid is added and when baking in the oven. It helps the bread rise and enhances the texture.
• Baking Soda reacts with the buttermilk (an acid), allowing the batter to rise and resulting in light, airy Irish soda bread muffins.
• Kosher Salt balances the sweetness and improves the texture.
• Butter: Use cold, salted butter for tender muffins.
• Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup. Then, fill it to the top with 1% or 2% milk.
• Honey or Agave add a touch of sweetness to these simple Irish soda muffins.
• Egg: Beat one egg to bind the batter together.
• Raisins give the bread more sweetness,but if you prefer your Irish soda bread less sweet, omit them.

How to Make Irish Soda Bread Muffins

1. Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Wet Ingredients: Stir the buttermilk, honey, and egg in a small bowl.
3. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour and stir to combine. Then mix in the raisins.
4. Bake: Spoon the batter into a muffin tin sprayed with oil and bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Check them by inserting a toothpick–Once it comes out clean, they’re done.
5. How to Serve: Let the pan cool on a wire rack for five minutes before removing the muffins. Let them finish cooling on the rack.

Irish Soda Bread Variations

• Sweetness: These muffins are lightly sweetened, but if you prefer sweeter bread, add more honey. For less sweet bread, skip the raisins.
• Sweetener: Swap the honey for agave or maple syrup.
• Raisins: Substitute the raisins for craisins or currants.
• Caraway: If you like caraway seeds in your bread, add an eighth of a teaspoon. Some people commented below that they used one teaspoon, so if you love caraway, give it a try.
• Flour: Use all AP flour if you don’t have white whole wheat.
• Egg allergy? Replace the egg with a quarter cup of applesauce or buttermilk.
• Mini Irish Soda Bread Muffins: Place the batter in a mini muffin tin and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Check them with a toothpick, and once it comes out clean, remove the muffins from the oven.

Why is my Irish soda bread so hard?

The biggest culprit of dense bread is overmixing the dough. You want to gently mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined to avoid dry, hard Irish soda bread.

How to Store Muffins

• To store muffins, allow them to cool completely and place them in an airtight container or zip-locked bag at room temperature.
• Refrigerate for up to 5 days or wrap tightly with foil or plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.
• To get that fresh-out-of-the-oven taste, warm muffins in the microwave.

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