Easy Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread Recipe (2024)

Bake a golden loaf of this easy gluten free Irish soda bread for St. Patrick's Day or any day. If the thought of baking homemade bread scares you, don't worry! Irish soda bread is a simple quick bread and it's yeast-free. That's right; no yeast. Anyone can bake this!

Why You'll Like This Recipe

• An easy gluten free soda bread recipe.
• One bowl, little mess.
• A "quick" bread; no yeast to deal with and no kneading of the dough.

If you need more ideas for St. Patrick's Day, try this savory braised cabbage with leeks and bacon.

Recipe Ingredients

The perfect gluten-free alternative to traditional Irish soda bread.

Please check the recipe card for measurements.

• Gluten-free flour blend: I use King Arthur's Measure for Measure GF blend. You need a little extra for your hands and cutting board. See testing notes for other flours.
• Sugar: Use a natural granulated sugar for the soda bread. It's just a small amount and makes a lightly sweet quick bread.
• Baking powder: Use aluminum-free baking powder and check expiration the date on your can or bag before baking. Baking powder is one leavening agent instead of yeast.
• Baking soda: Check expiration the date on your can or bag before baking as it's another natural leavening agent for baked goods without yeast.
• Butter: Use sweet or unsalted butter so you control the salt level.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk gives baked goods a light, moist texture. It's natural the acidity reacts with the baking soda and powder to help the bread rise. See substitutions for buttermilk below.
• Dried fruit: Some recipe use raisins, I prefer tiny currants which are another kind of dried grape. What you'll find at the grocery store are called currants or Zantes currants.

Chef's tip: If your gluten-free flour blend does not contain xanthan gum, add ½ of a teaspoon to the recipe. It provides elasticity and stickiness to gluten-free doughs and batters (because there is no gluten).

Substitutions and Variations

Substitutes for Buttermilk

If you don't have buttermilk, use dairy milk plus lemon juice to curdle the milk and create the needed acidity. Another option, milk and apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. Other options include sour cream, yogurt, kefir, or rehydrated buttermilk powder.

I've not tested all of these options but the milk and lemon juice or vinegar trick does work. For more information, read here for more about substitutions for buttermilk.

For dairy-free, use homemade almond milk or homemade cashew milk, still adding the lemon juice and using a plant butter (a cube not a tub). The taste may be a little different as buttermilk as a natural tang.

Other Substitutes

• If you are egg sensitive, Irish soda bread can be made with no egg or an egg replacement. Either skip the egg (I used to make it that way) or find ideas for replacing the egg here.
• To reduce sugar, use a monk fruit blend like this one. I always have a bag in the pantry and it works great to replace sugar, either all of it or even half and half.
• If you can't find dried currants (tiny raisins), substitute regular raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, finely chopped pitted dates, chopped dried cherries or dried blueberries.

Recipe Instructions

This dough comes together quickly. If you've never baked bread like this, it's really easy and comes out wonderful. Some Irish soda bread recipes start with 3-4 cups of flour for big loaves. My recipe uses just 2 cups of flour for a smaller loaf that still serves 8-10.

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and stir well to combine.

Step 2: Mix in the cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter.

Step 3: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk and egg.

Step 4: Using a fork, gently mix it all together until a sticky dough forms.

Step 5: Mix in the currants.

Step 6: Gently mix until a stick dough forms.

See Also

Homemade Whole Wheat "Happy Rolls" Recipe30 of the Best Bread Maker Recipes- The Crafty Blog StalkerBest Vegan Pound Cake RecipeThe Best Nut Roast Recipe For Celebrations! - thinlyspread.co.uk

Step 7: Shape the dough into a free form round loaf on a floured cutting board. Parchment paper makes it easier to move to the pan. Lastly, bake the bread

Step 8: Lastly, bake the bread in a round cake pan or on a baking sheet, using baking parchment under the dough. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes until the loaf is golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and warm. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before slicing.

Chef's Tip: Cutting a shallow cross or X across the top of the loaf (called scoring) before baking the soda bread does two things: it assists baking as the heat reaches the interior of the loaf, and the cross blesses the bread (per Irish tradition).

Gluten-Free Flour Notes

I've baked Irish soda bread with both King Arthur's Measure for Measure GF blend and Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF blend (blue bag). Both the KA and the BRM GF flour blends are rice flour based.

I originally tested it with Cup4Cup and it worked fine in this recipe, but as their main ingredient is cornstarch, it is not one I use anymore.

Should I Weigh or Measure Flour?

You can weigh your flour or use standard dry measuring utensils. What's the difference? Different brands of flour measure differently.

For example, 2 cups of the King Arthur's flour weighs 9 ounces, but 2 cups of the Bob's Red Mill weighs 10.3 ounces. Because baking is all about accuracy, that makes a difference. For The Bob's Red Mill, use 1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon instead of 2 cups.

What if you don't weigh with a scale? The bread will still taste just as delicious, but might be a little more dense depending on what gluten-free all purpose flour you use.

Chef's tip: When baking you'll find it super handy to use a digital kitchen scale to weigh ingredients for better accuracy. If you don’t have one you can still make the bread but a digital scale is a terrific addition to your tools.

Serving Suggestions

What do you eat Irish soda bread with? Keep it simple with soft butter and jam. Enjoy it for breakfast with eggs and fruit. Try it at lunch with soup or a salad, or as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

It makes a nice gift too. I used to bake it for my clients as a seasonal treat. Using a serrated knife for slicing makes it easier.

Irish soda bread keeps for about 5 days on the counter, well wrapped in a zip bag or other airtight container.

Recipe FAQs

More Easy Gluten-Free Baking Recipes

For another gluten-free baking recipe that uses buttermilk, try this gluten-free cornbread recipe.

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