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Me and Eleanor
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Treacle Farls

NORTHERN IRELAND

Molasses Griddle Bread

SUBMITTED BY

Diane

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Diane showed me this Northern Irish home-cooking staple with a very interesting history.

A treacle farl is a soft, dark, slightly sweet quick bread from Northern Ireland, cooked not in an oven but on a griddle or heavy skillet. The word “farl” comes from the old Scottish term “fardel,” meaning a fourth part or a three-cornered piece, which is exactly how the bread is shaped: a round of dough cut into four triangular wedges before cooking. Treacle farls are a sweeter cousin of the classic soda farl, made distinctive by the addition of treacle (Britain’s version of molasses), which gives the bread its deep color, faint bitterness, and gentle sweetness.

Roots in Irish Soda Bread Tradition

Farls belong to the wider family of Irish soda bread, a tradition that took shape roughly two centuries ago once bicarbonate of soda became a reliable, affordable raising agent. Soft, low-gluten wheat flour, much of it imported from America in the 19th century, was ideal for quick breads leavened with soda rather than yeast, and it became the standard for Irish home baking. In the northern counties, bakers began shaping their soda dough into flat rounds and cutting it into quarters to cook on a griddle over an open fire, rather than baking a single loaf in an oven. This regional habit is what gives Northern Ireland its farl, distinct from the round soda loaves found further south.

Why Treacle?

Variations on plain soda bread, including versions enriched with dried fruit or treacle, were long treated as regional treats rather than everyday fare. Treacle was a natural choice for a sweeter farl: it was cheap, widely available in British and Irish pantries, and added moisture as well as flavor to a dough that otherwise relied on just flour, salt, soda, and buttermilk. Soda breads in general became household staples because they were inexpensive to make and didn’t require yeast or lengthy proving, and a treacle farl offered a way to turn that everyday staple into something a little more indulgent for teatime.

The Ulster Fry Connection

While plain soda farls are famous as a savory component of the Ulster Fry, alongside bacon, eggs, and potato farls, treacle farls have traditionally taken a different role on the table. Their sweetness makes them a natural match for butter, jam, or clotted cream rather than a fried breakfast, and they’re often served split and buttered while still warm from the griddle, more akin to a sweet teacake than a bread roll.

Making Treacle Farls Today

The method has barely changed. Flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and sugar are sifted together, then butter is rubbed in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Treacle whisked with cream is folded in along with buttermilk to form a soft dough, which is lightly kneaded, shaped into a round about one and a half centimetres thick, and cut into four farls. They cook on a medium-low griddle or cast iron pan for about 20 minutes, flipped halfway, then rest wrapped in a tea towel so the crust stays soft as they cool.

Treacle Farls

Servings 4
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Ingredients
  

  • 280 g flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 40 g sugar
  • 40 g butter plus more for serving
  • 1 Tbsp treacle or molasses
  • 1 Tbsp heavy cream
  • 115 ml buttermilk

Instructions
 

  • Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Gently rub in the butter until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
  • Whisk the treacle and cream together, then pour this into the dry ingredients. Add most of the buttermilk and mix until you have a soft dough. If it feels a bit dry, add a little more buttermilk, but be careful not to let it get too wet.
  • Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface and shape it into a round about one and a half centimeters thick.
  • Cut the round into four farls.
  • Bake them on a medium-low griddle or a heavy cast iron pan for about 20 minutes, making sure to turn them over halfway through so they cook evenly. Once they are baked, wrap them in a clean tea towel and let them rest on a wire rack. This keeps the crust from getting too hard while they cool.
  • Serve with butter.
Course: Breakfast
Region: Europe

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About Beryl

I have been in the film and media industry for the past 12 years and have worked for companies including Great Big Story, ABC, CNN, Martha Stewart, News Corporation, Harper Collins and Fast Company.