Irish Breads: Irish Soda Bread Recipe, Farls Recipe, and Boxty Recipe (Irish Potato Bread Recipe) — DBE (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between boxty and farls? ›

The difference between potato farls and boxty is that in the former the potatoes are cooked beforehand before being added to the mixture. The word 'farl' comes from Old English 'fardel' meaning fourth.

Irish brown bread has a deep, nutty flavor because of its wheat flour and wheat bran while soda bread uses only white flour. Soda bread is slightly sweet and more scone-like while Irish brown bread is more savory with a tender interior.

Soda farls simply refers to soda bread that has been flattened, cut into quadrants or fourths (farls!) and cooked on a griddle or skillet. Soda bread is usually kept in one large loaf, scored on the top with a knife and baked in the oven.

Each country has its “national” bread with recipes dating back to their forefathers. Ireland, for one, has embraced it's kind of bread – the soda bread. It is a basic staple among the Irish that they call it Irish Soda Bread. It's common to see the locals pair this famous bread with a bottle of Guinness too.

'Boxty' originates in the 1700s and may get its name from the Irish 'arán bocht tí', meaning 'poor house bread', due to its humble ingredients, making it a staple in Irish households where potatoes were relied upon to survive. It is a simple potato pancake using mashed and/or grated potatoes.

The most noticeable difference between boxty and other fried potato dishes is its smooth, fine-grained consistency. An old Irish rhyme is: "Boxty on the griddle; boxty on the pan. If you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man!" As the interest in Irish cuisine has increased, so the popularity of boxty has risen.

Contrary to a common misconceptions, the Irish did not import the Soda Bread recipe from the American Indians. This misconception is my fault because 30+ years ago on the original site I happened to mention Native Americans using Potash to make bread.

Chances are good that the bread you ate suffered from one of three common problems: improper amount of baking soda (a gross, salty-bitter taste), over cooking (a dry, chalky texture), or undercooking (a soggy, doughy center).

The baking soda does the job of yeast and makes the bread rise. Since it's not as powerful as yeast, the bread is dense rather than fluffy. It's beautiful and delicious!

In Ulster, the wholemeal variety is usually known as wheaten bread and is normally sweetened, while the term "soda bread" is restricted to the white savoury form. In the southern provinces of Ireland, the wholemeal variety is usually known as brown bread and is almost identical to the Ulster wheaten.

Is soda bread healthier than bread? ›

Healthy bread for yeast-free diets: Soda bread

This traditional Irish bread is made with wholemeal or white flour and buttermilk and baking powder rather than yeast, so ideal for people on yeast-free diets. Wholemeal varieties are healthiest. It's also super easy to make from home, try this simple soda bread recipe.

Both types of bread use flour and contain refined carbohydrates. Sourdough bread would be considered healthier in the fact that it is a fermented food with lower gluten levels, making it easier to digest.

I was always told that the cross on the top of Irish Soda Bread was to symbolize the Catholic faith of Ireland, and the Gaelic Cross. Some say it kept the Devil out, but that is what a cross is supposed to do also. Turns out that is true but more importantly, it helps in the baking of the bread.

Irish Tea Time: Enjoy Irish Soda Bread smeared with creamy Irish butter and your favorite jam or marmalade. Lemon curd and traditional clotted cream also go well with the bread's dense crumb and tangy buttermilk flavor. Serve it alongside your favorite brewed tea.

Boxty is different from other potato pancakes or latkes, and you'll see that once you bite into one and notice the crispy hash brown-like outside and soft, dough-like inside.

The word farl literally means “fourths” meaning they are shaped from a circle of dough cut into quarters. The dough consists of mashed potatoes and flour. They are part of a family of Irish potato breads and pancakes. However, for this recipe, I cut them in eighths instead to make them a bit smaller in size.

Farl is a shorter form of fardel, the word once used in some parts of Lowland Scotland for "a three-cornered cake, usually oatcake, generally the fourth part of a round". In earlier Scots fardell meant a fourth or quarter.

We call them potato scones (or, more often, tattie scones) here in Scotland, while our friends in Ireland call them potato farls. They're the same thing – I don't know who made them first though!