Authentic Irish Bread Recipe with Margaret Ward 

I am so lucky to call Margaret my Grandma! This bread an absolute staple in the Ward and Galati household. Grandma has been using the same square pan for the last 50 years. Thankful my Dad took the time to document this process.

That's my grandma! And I can tell you that she's as sweet as she sounds. Terrific video that captures her true personality and her delicious brown bread recipe.

3 cups white flour 3 cups wholemeal flour 2 level teaspoons baking soda 2 level teaspoons of salt 2 teaspoons of suger Mix well - add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (optional) 16oz buttermilk (can use rmix of regular milk and yoghurt or juice of a lemon) Mix very well - add little more milk if needed. 12 x 12 inch pan - lightly greased. Spread out Score the top 400 degress for one hour on middle shelf Allow 2 hours to cool off after turning it out.

To my fellow RU-vidrs To those of you who fell in love with the fabulous Margaret WARD and her wonderful IRISH Bread Recipe I contacted Dr. Joe Galati and asked if his dear mother -in -law was still with us as of April 7th,2020. I was worried because of age in this age of COVID 19. He very kindly questioned my plea and confirmed that she is well and feeling fine. A BIG THANK YOU TO DR. Galati for his kindness in relieving our fears! YOU GO, My fellow MARGARET AND KEEP On baking THAT BREAD! I think Dr. Joe is originally from Long Island too! Shout out from another Long Islander to him too❤️

Wow! No eggs no butter no raisins no caraway seeds... this recipe sounds very authentic because I’m sure most folks didn’t have all of those things, just a bunch of hungry kids! Thank you Mrs. Ward & Family. 🙏🏻

In case anyone is interested - King Arthur Flour Co. does make a coarse, wholemeal flour. It is called (coincidentally) Irish Style Flour, and is made from red wheat.

When my granny made wheaten bread she'd Bless the bread with the cross, and a knife prick in each quarter, to 'let the bread fairies out!' 😊

God's Blessings on ALL especially the Salt of the Earth...the Irish.

thank you recording and sharing this recipe. we need the wisdom and know how of our elders to be preserved and passed on to the younger generations. she is a lovely lady.

No kneading the dough, just pressing it down, this is the best and easiest soda bread I have ever seen. Make the cross to bless the bread and make the marks to let the fairies out. Thank you for sharing, Blessings ☘️

We make little marks like that in the bread 'to let the fairies out'. I never saw anybody spread the dough out into a square before. Where I'm from in Ireland, it's shaped into a round cake, then a deep cross is cut into it to help it rise to the right shape. Also, butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients rather than olive oil. When it gets out of the oven, wrap it in a clean wet towel for a softer crust if you like.

"I don't throw it in, I pour it in", (at 7:13) absolutely brilliant, I enjoyed that!!

Hi Margaret! We proud of you teaching skills. I love your brown bread and especially the cross ☦️ in the bread. My mother always made a cross because the Lord Jesus is the bread of life and we’re reminded of His body given for us on Calvary. Jesus was born in Bethlehem which means the house of bread. All blessings from Wexford in Jesus name forevermore Love from Sean and Angie in Christ Jesus

I love this lady.

Thank you so much, Margaret! I am 25 years old and trying to recreate some of the recipes my grandmother used to make and this video made me tear up thinking of her. Will be trying out this recipe this weekend after the Odlum's flour is delivered!

every time I watch this I smile from ear to ear. I am baking this today. Thank you for sharing. It's like getting a recipe from my mom.

WHAT A WONDERFUL IRISH RECIPE!! THANK YOU MARGARET!! I HAVE ROOTS IN IRELAND AND MY GRAMMA MADE THIS BREAD. IT IS SO GOOD!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. ☺

Y’all didn’t wait until the oven preheated. It looked like it bothered her. She said “I’m waiting for it to be 400. She is so precious.

My family is from county Armagh. My gran makes soda bread with flour, buttermilk and salt. That's it & it's great! Gran didn't kneed it & just plopped in on a flat pan. Blessed it & let the fairies out.

Made this today Was delicious thank you

An awesome lesson with a very sweet and gracious teacher.

I’m from the north of Ireland not far from Monaghan. I really enjoyed watching your lovely mum. 💕

She's beautiful...and so happy ...what a blessing .thank you for sharing

Legend says that the cross on the dough is to bless it. The small marks are to let the fairies out of the dough so that they will not ruin the bread while it is in the oven.

Love this Woman!! Thank you so much. I enjoyed watching this more than you know. Your lucky to have your Mom and Grandmother ❤️

"Mum" is a legend. A real pleasure to watch this and I imagine she loved every minute of making this and being part of a busy kitchen. Thankyou all.

Thank you Margaret. I live in Australia but was born in Ireland and it is just so lovely to tune in to some real Irish culture. I remember eating Soda bread when I was young and am looking forward to making some now. Your skills are admirable. You are clearly comfortable with the process of baking and being in the kitchen. Loved the video thank you again

You remind me of my most beloved Oma, grandma Margaret, I love Irish soda bread and you are so sweet and special, your family is blessed by having you. You stab into the dough to get the fairy out of it. Lots of love to you

Thank you Dr. Joe for making sure it was all well laid out & a big thank you to Margaret.

Dia Dhuit! Lovely lady making soda bread. My grandmum and mum made soda bread. Best bread ever! My mum made it with currants and caraway seeds. She cut a cross in it with a knife (to bless the bread) and baked it in a round cast iron skillet. We'd eat it with slathers of butter and a pot of tea. She absolutely loved orange marmalade too. Yum. Go raibh maith agat agus athbhliain faoi mhaise dhuit ó New Hampshire!

If you would like make this while camping get some buttermilk powder. Mix in with the dry ingredients and bag with a vacuum dealer .To make bread in the field simply add water and knead.

You're a lucky man to have such a sweetheart mother-in-law and if that is your wife in the background, you're even luckier! Thank you for this video. Will absolutely try this but I'm sure it wont be even as close as good cause the magic is in Mum Margaret Wards' hands!Cheers from Montreal, Quebec...

Love it! What a lovely mother you have! Mine passed a few years back... took me back watching you really savor walking through a special treat with your mom! God’s blessings!

She is so cute. Thank you for your recipe.

Thanks for this. Reminds me of my grannies and my my mom. I will try it.

What a lovely woman,sending regards from Tenerife,Dublin woman here watching,what a Pleasure xx

I couldn't wait to try this recipe for our St Patrick's Day Potluck Dinner at our community center. I ordered the Odlums Flour but didn't come in on time. So I substituted with wholewheat. I thought it was going to be a flop BUT it was the biggest hit of the entire dinner. Everyone loved your Recipe. We ran out of it. Next year I will have to make a double batch. Thank you so much for posting this video. I can only hope you will pass this information to Margret Ward herself in Ireland.

What a sweet woman! She had me smiling the whole time.

Loved watching this I will be making this ❤️ looked at all different recipes made a few years ago they were aweful Thanks Margaret I’ll carry on your tradition I went to Ireland twice and loved the brown bred 😍

She is precious!

What a sweet GranMum, In these days of the CoronaVirus I am learning how to make bread at home, then I found this beautiful recipe and Mum. GOD bless her!

Thank you Margaret. Just made your recipe and it’s delicious.

Yea Margaret!! U R fabulous! I'm in beautiful Southern Iowa. Today Dec 30 2022. Appreciate u and family to teach us this recipe. It's 3am couldn't sleep but now need to go to store for buttermilk. Happy 2023 share a smile everybody, kindness works!!

Sitting in Co. Monaghan watching this wonderful ladie, my mum-in-law (90) bakes like this every week. 🐢

Ive watched this before i love watching this well done margaret happy 2023 xxxx

Wow! What a beautiful home.

Absolutely love Margaret. Reminds me of my grandmother who came from Ireland.

Thankyou so much, so m uch, dear Margaret. It is so moving, so nice, so xweet, to look a t you making the bread, and hear your voice. I'm from Brittany, so a bit a celtic cousin (our languages gaelic and breton are cousins, even if breton is much closer to welsh). I saw a lot of irish soda breads various recipes, but yours is really different, with il, and cooked in a suare pan, so in my cooking notebook it will be calle "Margaret ward irish soda bread" (or maybe a nice irish nmame for Margaret, such as "Molly irish soda bread, a Margaret Ward recipe" ! . I was told that the holes on the bread, (between the arms of the cross, were to let the fairies go out, for them not to play with the bread and damage it while it is in the oven. IWe, celt people, we like the fairy tales, the fairies. so I llike this thinking about the holes in the bread. So, Margaret, kisses from Brittany (west of France).

Thank you so much for this! What a lovely, sweet lady Margaret is.

Thank you, Mrs. Ward! Beautiful soul! ❤️ 🤗

How kind lady and how beautifull smile. She looks absolutely happy. I will prepare this recipe. It is great to keep old ways of our elders. Thank you very much from Spain

Margaret. You are a treasure. 🍀💕

What a sweet and fun treasure of a lady. Enjoy that grandma/mom as much as you can. She reminds me of my late great grandma Martha. Record more videos of special food she cooks. You’ll be glad you did. Bless you Margaret!

Thank you for the recipe…a different and easy way for this old guy to make an alternative to sourdough, have a touch to Irish roots.

Thx Margaret. Sweet Irish lady from across the pond.

Thank you Margaret, will make it on St Patrick’s Day !

Fantastic. Lovely Irish lady with simple homemade traditional recipe xxx love from scotland x

Love this!!!! Thanks!!

Today April 4 looking for a recipe to do with my daughter couldn't found some much beautiful to watch. She is adorable. God bless her and protected. A little tiers just imagine that people like her we have to protect from this situation (covid-19). What adorable lady. Hugs From Montreal Canada.

Wonderful, thank you.

Such a lovely lady. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

She's adorable! Reminds me of my Irish Grandma who is also Margaret (Peggy). ☘️❤️

What a sweet lady. Many mothers fed hungry families with simple breads. Love it!

Thank you I love this bread yum yum What a sweet lady bless her !!!

I love this! Makes me want to record my mother in law doing all her baking to preserve tradition.

Awe how sweet , I wasa stood on a kitchen chair and watched my Grandma made this bread. She would make two just like that . And yes she came from Ireland , one was for us and one for and old Lady that lived in the bush but it was the next farm and wasn't doing well, she had lost her Hubby the winter before. So Thankyou Mrs. Ward Thankyou. hahaha Dad wanted his fried with his eggs in the morning for his breakfast... so Lovely, thankyou for the bring back a Memory.

I loved watching this, she reminded me so much of my grandmother. I followed along and wrote everything down so I will definitely be baking this Bread.

This is beautiful... I can't wait to try this recipe!

So sweet! Loved this family video on how to bake traditional Irish Bread. Will make it! Thanks!

Thank you for sharing this. I love this video and your mom is a gem. God Bless her and love the bread demonstration.

What a delightful gal!!! A real treasure.

My wonderful mam rip used to make beautiful bread .sometimes she would make it on the frying pan .i miss my mam so much and her lovely bread.this brings back wonderful meomries of when we had her with us.she was the best.love tina ireland.

Hugs to that marvelous lady. I will be making this soon.

Thank you so much for sharing. She reminded me of my grate- grandma Elsie also from Ireland. We had lost her recipe but I wanted to make it for St. Paddy's day.

Thank you so much for your tutorials. Your mom is so marvelous. She reminds me of my mom. My heart is very warmed

She is sooooo adorable! Hope she's ok and keeps making that awesome bread ❤

Beautiful, thank you! Love my Irish roots :)

I just love this lovely lady she reminds me so much of my grandmother

Oh She is so lovely. Thank you for sharing. I will be making this for family reunion tomorrow. 🍀💞

Thanks for posting. I’m away from home and can’t get soda bread so please thank you Ma for her help. Slán

She's so sweet,and I just love her accent. God Bless her.

She is so cute I just love this sweet lady. Thank you for sharing your recipe I’m going to make it.

Thank you I so enjoyed this so much thank you for sharing your family

What a great traditional recipe!

What a precious mother, mother-in-law! I'm going to try her recipe! Thanks for sharing her with us!

She's so sweet and funny. God bless her.

Your mom is so cute! Tell her thank you for this wonderfully simple recipe! 💐

Wow! Looks delicious. Can't wait to try it. She's a sweetheart.

Great video guys! We need to record more of our elders knowledge lest we forget it! God Bless her!

My Mum used to make bread every day, she didn't follow any recipe. The recipe was in her head. I never learned how to make bread, now that I have seen this video i will have a go. Thank you from London.

thanks Margaret, hello from British Columbia Canada, ps love your laugh

I love that she used the spoon all way through, I will definitely try it, thank you.

Love this! Thank you for sharing. I would love to see more cooking videos! Beautiful lady!

Great recipe! What an adorable family💕.

Thanks, I loved this video and of course the giggles are charming.

Fabulous Margaret. Thank you and God bless.❤️☘️

Love this video. RIP Margaret, and thanks for the lesson.

I’m gonna make it! Thanks for the recipe!

Loved Margaret and her wonderful Irish soda bread . Look forward to trying it .God bless you all x

Thank you grandma!!!!!!