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This Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread has no yeast so is incredibly quick to make and this version also happens to be vegan and uses no xanthan gum.
It’s St Patrick’s Day this weekend and although it’s not really a holiday we celebrate, despite my grandfather being Irish, I have relished this opportunity to perfect and share this Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread.
My struggles getting a really good gluten-free bread up on the blog have been well documented in my Insta Stories. Most of my bread endeavours have been perfectly edible but to get a loaf that is uncomplicated, tasty and not terribly dense is a tough ask. Especially if you need to avoid using xanthan gum which I always am. See this post which explains why I never bake with xanthan gum.
Irish Soda Bread has been the perfect antidote to my struggles. There is no yeast involved, no kneading, no rising and no complicated ingredients. It takes 15 minutes to mix up the dough and only 45 minutes in the oven. So that’s pretty much 1 hour from start to finish.
please note the above photo was taken before I realised the need for lining the cake tin with baking parchment - see top tips below.
What is Irish Soda Bread?
Irish Soda Bread is a traditional very quick bread recipe which is made without yeast so there is no proving time to be considered. Instead the bread rises through the reaction of bicarbonate of soda and acidic buttermilk.
How Do You Make Vegan Soda Bread?
Regular Irish Soda Bread uses a combination of buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda to create the rise. To make the recipe vegan (or if you don’t have any buttermilk to hand) you can use a non-dairy milk mixed with a little acid to create the same buttermilk effect. This recipe uses oat milk with apple cider vinegar but you can use any non-dairy milk and you can swap lemon juice in for the vinegar if that is what you have.
The Flours
I tested this recipe a bunch of times with a different combination of flours. I finally settled on the following mix:
Oat Flour
The oat flour is the perfect light and fluffy texture for the bread, as well as providing a delicious oaty taste. You can substitute with sorghum flour if you can’t digest oats but some brands of sorghum flour can be a little gritty which does come through in this bread recipe since such a large amount is needed.
Almond Flour
The almond flour also gives the bread a lovely texture and taste. It is light but also helps keeps the bread from being dry and crumbly.
Potato Starch
Potato starch is used for structure and to alleviate the density of the loaf.
Tapioca Flour
Tapioca flour is chosen as it gives the bread a lovely golden crust and also helps bind all the other flours together in lieu of gluten.
Why Do We Use Ground Flaxseeds?
The bread needed a little more binding. Many wholegrain Irish Soda Bread recipes compensate by adding an egg. I wanted to keep this bread vegan so turned to flaxseeds which when added to liquid have a certain viscosity which helps to keep the bread tender.
What Can You Substitute For The Flaxseeds?
If you don’t have flaxseeds then ground chia seeds work in exactly the same way, so just swap in the same quantity.
How Do You Make Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread?
- Whisk the milk and vinegar together.
- Sift the flours with the bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Add the flaxseeds to the milk.
- Pour the milk into the flours and mix well.
- Tip the dough into a cake tin and bake for 45 minutes.
Top Tips for Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread
- Regular Irish Soda Bread can be baked free-form just on a baking sheet. Here I recommend baking this gluten-free version in a round cake tin. This dough is a little looser and it helps the bread stay in shape during the bake.
- Also, do use line the cake tin on the bottom and sides with baking parchment to stop the bread from sticking. Cut out a circle of parchment and place on the bottom. Cut out a straight line of parchment and curl it round the insides of the cake tin. Do not grease the parchment.
Shop the Recipe:
- Gluten-free-oat flour
- Gluten-free potato starch
- Digital scales
- Kosher salt
- Baking parchment
- 8 inch round cake tin
More Gluten-Free Recipes You Might Like
Happiness Bread
Gluten-Free Scones
The Best All-Butter Gluten-Free Pastry
If you make this Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own baking creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 180 g oat flour
- 120 g almond flour
- 60 g potato starch
- 60 g tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 350 ml non-dairy milk
- 1¼ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 20 g ground flaxseeds
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan assisted/gas mark 4. Line the bottom of a 6 inch x 4 inch round cake tin with baking parchment on the bottom and around the insides of the tin.
- Whisk the milk with the apple cider vinegar in a jug and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
- Sift the flours into a large mixing bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Whisk the flaxseeds into the milk and leave for 5 minutes.
- Make a well in the middle of the flours and pour in the liquid. Mix well.
- Pour the bread dough into the lined cake tin and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the oven, leave to rest for 5 minutes before carefully inserting out of the tin and leave to cool on a rack.
Notes
- For the non-dairy milk you can use oat milk, coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk or a combo of any of them.
- Instead of the apple cider vinegar you can use the same amount of lemon juice.
- If you don’t have any flaxseeds to hand then you can swap in ground chia seeds.
Nutrition
I followed the recipe to the letter but unfortunately the bread didn't rise. I tried it for flavour and thought it was very nice. It's a shame the texture wasn't right. I wonder what went wrong!