Description
Nothing compares to this Incredible Irish Soda Bread with a soft crumb and perfectly golden crispy crust. The yeast-free soda bread is a gluten-free, vegan recipe to prepare when you crave tasty, quick bread. The recipe does not contain corn, bean flour or xanthan gum.
Baking Tools: Dutch oven or cast iron skillet or baking sheet, kitchen scale, measuring cups/spoons, a large bowl, unbleached parchment paper, a soft spatula, a spoon, a large knife, and, most importantly, an oven.
Ingredients
- 14g (2 rounded tablespoons) whole psyllium husk
- 240g/240ml (1 cup) warm 100-110°F water, divided
- 18g (1 tablespoon) pure maple syrup
- 250g (1 cup) plain vegan yogurt*. See notes
- 90g (1 cup) GF oat flour**
- 90g (3/4 cup) brown rice flour
- 90g (3/4 cup) sorghum flour
- 60g (1/2 cup) tapioca starch
- 14g (1 tablespoon) GF baking powder***
- 3g (1/2 teaspoon) sea salt
- 50g (1/3 cup) golden raisins (optional)
Instructions
Watch the recipe video before you begin.
STEP 1 – Preheat the oven and Dutch oven to 425°F—place in the center of the oven. Set out one sheet of unbleached parchment paper, approximately 12 x 12 inches.
STEP 2 – Mix 1/2 cup of warm water with the whole psyllium husk and maple syrup in a large mixing bowl and mix with a spoon. Then add the vegan yogurt and mix well. Keep the empty yogurt cup handy.
STEP 3 – To the wet mixture, add the dry ingredients: flour combo, starch, GF baking powder, sea salt, and raisins and mix a little. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of warm water and mix until all the dry bits are incorporated.
STEP 4 – Transfer the dough to a sheet of unbleached parchment paper with a soft spatula. Shape the dough into a disk (2-3 inches thick and 6-7 inches round) with the same spatula. With slightly wet hands, smooth out the texture a bit. Scrape down the sides of your yogurt cup and brush the top of your dough with a bit of yogurt.
STEP 5 – Transfer dough with parchment paper to your preheated Dutch oven. Bake for 30 minutes covered and 10-20 minutes uncovered. Fifty minutes will bake a nice crusty loaf. The bread is ready once the internal temperature reaches 210°F, and the bottom crust is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
STEP 6 – Cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack, and enjoy warm!
Notes
Use a cast iron skillet or regular baking sheet if you don’t have a Dutch oven. You can preheat the cast iron skillet, but doing so with the baking sheet is unnecessary.
Substitute pure maple syrup with coconut palm sugar.
Substitute plain vegan yogurt with plant milk (i.e. homemade hemp milk) soured with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. It will work, but it won’t be as tasty as using yogurt!
(NOT Tested Yet) Replace the flour combo and starch by weight (grams) with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Adding whole psyllium husk might not be necessary if your GF flour blend includes xanthan gum.
Substitute GF oat flour with almond meal/flour by weight (if not allergic to nuts).
Substitute tapioca starch with potato starch.
Substitute sorghum flour with millet flour.
Substitute brown rice flour with light buckwheat flour (someone tried quinoa flour with success).
Substitute golden raisins for raisins or currants, or leave them out.
*I used Silk Plain Coconut Yogurt. It doesn’t include gums and only 1g of sugar per 3/4 cup.
**Milling/grinding GF oats into flour creates the freshest oat flour.
***My homemade GF baking powder contains tapioca starch, cream of tartar and baking soda. I also tested Bob’s Red Mill GF Baking Powder containing different ingredients, including cornstarch.