Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread

This Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread without buttermilk tastes soft and buttery like a biscuit and uses only 7 ingredients! It is quick, easy, and delicious. It's easily made dairy-free and vegan.

Course Baking, Bread

Cuisine American, Irish

Keyword gluten free irish soda bread, gluten-free bread no yeast

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings slices

Calories 157kcal

Author Jamie

Ingredients

2 cups milk of choice (I use unsweetened almond milk) (473 ml)
2 tablespoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
4 ¼ cups gluten-free all purpose flour with xanthan gum , plus a little more for dusting your hands and adjusting dough consistency if needed (I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Flour) (574 grams)
2 teaspoons baking soda , break up any clumps
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil , melted (45 ml)
2 tablespoons honey (30 ml)

Instructions

Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 C). Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil or line with parchment paper.
Buttermilk Mixture: Mix the milk and vinegar together in a liquid measuring cup or jar. Give it a stir and set aside.
Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the gluten-free flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk together well.
Dough: Add the buttermilk mixture, honey, and melted coconut oil to the dry ingredients. Mix well using a wooden spoon, and finish mixing with your lightly floured hands if needed. The dough should be moist and sticky. Begin adding more flour in ¼ cup increments and mix well, if needed, until the dough is stiff enough to stand freely in a wide, round loaf. I usually add about ¼ cup of additional gluten-free flour
Form a Loaf: Use lightly floured hands to mold the dough into a round loaf in the center of your baking sheet. Score the top of the loaf in a cross using a large sharp knife, pressing in about ¼ of an inch.
Bake: Bake until the loaf has a crusty golden brown crust, sounds hollow when you tap on it with a fingernail, and has an internal temperature of 190 degrees F (87 C). If you do not have a thermometer, insert a toothpick in the center of the loaf to make sure it comes out dry, with just a few moist crumbs. This takes about 40-50 minutes, and can vary slightly depending on the additional flour added. If the crust browns more than you'd like before the interior has baked fully, cover the loaf loosely with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time. Cool: When finished, remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

Storage: Store leftover gluten-free Irish Soda Bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze in individual slices for up to 3 months.

Internal temperature: A thermometer really is the best way to know that this gluten-free Irish Soda Bread is fully baked. When the internal temperature is 190 degrees F, it will have the perfect crumb. If eating this bread over several days, you can underbake it slightly (180-185 degree internal temperature) so it retains more moisture and doesn't dry out.

With raisins: Add 1 cup of raisins to this recipe along with the wet ingredients if you like raisins in your Irish Soda Bread.

gluten-free flour - You need a gluten-free all purpose flour blend that includes xanthan gum or guar gum to make this recipe. I use and like Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. If your gluten-free flour blend does not include xanthan gum, you can add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum with the dry ingredients and whisk it in well (¼ teaspoon per cup).

milk - I use unsweetened almond milk. Other plant-based milks and dairy milk (skim, whole, 1%, 2%) are all fine. This recipe is formulated without buttermilk, and you therefore cannot substitute buttermilk back in directly.

How to make this recipe with Pamela's Baking Mix (original recipe):

The first version of this well-loved recipe was made with Pamela's Baking Mix. Follow the same instructions but use these ingredients if you're looking for that version. The baking time will be on the lower end for this variation.

4 ¼ cups Pamela's Baking Mix, plus more to adjust for consistency and for dusting hands
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¾ cup milk of your choosing , I use unsweetened almond milk (415 ml)
3 tablespoons coconut oil , liquid but not hot
1 egg
2 teaspoons honey

Nutrition