Irish Buttermilk Batch Bread (Arán Bláthach Éireannach)

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An Irish batch loaf is a traditional style of leavened bread, named for being baked in a large batch, often touching each other, which results in a soft interior with a thick, dark crust on the top and bottom but no crust on the sides. It was once more common than pan loaves and is characterised by its soft, floury crumb and is popularly served with butter and jam for toast or sandwiches

A good Irish Batch Loaf is always made using buttermilk. The crust is thick, dark, and well-fired on both the top and the bottom. However, the sides have no crust as the unbaked doughs are baked together 'in a batch'. 

Originally, as you can read below, the bread was leavened using soda. However, modern-day versions use commercial yeast to ensure a light and even rise. 

The crumb of a batch loaf is soft, floury and moist, and the taste is often slightly sweet (due to the buttermilk), but it's definitely a bread. 

In the oven, the loaves are baked close together so that they achieve their traditional shape and crust. For this, you'll need an appropriately sized baking or roasting pan. 

Steam was often applied to help form the correct crust and prevent the bread from drying out. 

Across Ireland, this was always a popular choice for sandwiches or for afternoon tea, served with butter and a good jam. 

Its popularity declined when mass production introduced the loaf pan, which became popular and far-reaching. 

However, the Irish batch loaf, the Arán bruthóige, is more than worth protecting, preserving and baking. 

This is such a simple and traditional loaf. You'd have found this recipe in most Irish kitchens since the 1800s. It was recently revived by the Irish baker, Patrick Ryan and sold at the Firehouse Bakery in West Cork. Nowadays, as with our BC20 adaptation of Patrick's recipe, commercial yeast is used to ensure a soft and even rise. 

The History of Batch Buttermilk Bread in Ireland

Batch bread using buttermilk in Ireland has a rich history tied closely to Irish ingredients, baking methods, and socioeconomic conditions, especially from the 19th century onward.

The style of bread known as "batch bread" is a traditional Irish crusty white loaf, once a daily staple widely baked and consumed across Ireland, including Northern Ireland. It emerged prominently by the mid-19th century, with some roots going back earlier. Irish wheat was typically soft and low in gluten, which made it unsuitable for yeast-leavened bread but ideal for soda bread using baking soda. Baking soda, combined with acidic buttermilk, was key as the acid in soured milk reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide, which leavens the dough quickly without yeast. This made buttermilk an essential ingredient in traditional Irish batch breads and soda breads, particularly in rural and poorer households where yeast and strong flour were scarce during periods like the Great Famine (1845-1852).

Batch loaf bread in Ireland was often baked in large round or oblong loaves, sold in regulated sizes (e.g., 2 or 4-pound loaves) to comply with bread laws. These loaves typically had a crusty exterior, some flour-dusted and baked in tight batches in brick ovens, often with a distinctive scoring on top, such as a cross, which had practical and folkloric significance. The crumb was dense and tender with a mild tang from the buttermilk. Batch bread was traditionally baked fresh daily or every few days, with the crusty "hearts" or end pieces especially prized.

By the 19th and early 20th centuries, batch bread baking techniques remained quite artisanal, involving hand-moulding and baking in steam or brick ovens for that characteristic crust flavour, sometimes known as the "nutty crust." In Northern Ireland, bakeries like Irwin's became famous for batch loaves, emphasising slow fermentation recipes using buttermilk and old sponge dough methods that gave the bread a distinct, resilient texture.

Though industrialisation, improved flour imports, and commercial yeast availability eventually led to a decline in soda bread and batch bread's ubiquity by the mid-20th century in urban areas, its tradition remains strong in rural Ireland and Northern Ireland. Heritage and artisan revivals have brought batch bread back into popularity, often highlighting its use of buttermilk as key for flavour and texture, linking it deeply to Irish baking culture and history.

Thus, the history of batch bread using buttermilk in Ireland is one of practical, regional adaptation to local agricultural conditions and poverty, combined with artisanal baking traditions that have endured and evolved over nearly two centuries as a symbol of Irish culinary identity

Further information can be found here: https://jpmcmahon.substack.com/p/on-batch-bread

INGREDIENTS

450 gms buttermilk

650 gms strong white bread flour

12 gms fine sea salt

6 gms instant active yeast (or 7 gms of dried yeast or 15 gms fresh yeast)

METHOD

Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and bring them together using a wooden spoon. 

Mix with hands, knead and continue kneading until you have a soft and silky dough. This will take longer than you think... probably in excess of 10 - 12 minutes. 

Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in volume. Watch the dough, not the clock....it may take an hour, it may take longer. 

Tip the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knock back well. 

Divide the dough into four even portions (it's worth weighing the dough to ensure even portions)

Shape each portion into a ball and cover with a cloth to rest. Allow the dough to rest for ten minutes. 

Re-shape each piece of the dough into balls and place in an oiled baking tray so they just touch. A roasting tray with sides is ideal, but try and find a tray that is a good size rather than too small or too large. 

Re-cover with a cloth and leave it to prove at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size. By then, the dough should spring back when you press it gently. 

Preheat the oven to 210⁰C (410⁰F) - Conventional (or slightly less if a fan oven). You are the best judge of your own oven. Place an old roasting tin in the oven bottom and add water to create steam as the oven heats up. 

When ready, place the dough into the oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the dough has a dark, crispy crust and is hollow when tapped underneath. 

Allow to cool on a rack before tearing apart, slicing and enjoying. 

Happy Baking. Bácáil go sona!

NB. If you choose to use a natural levain (e.g. sourdough starter) with this bread, please consider the ingredients and method and adapt accordingly. 

And the taste-testers?