This gluten free Irish soda bread is a lightly sweet quick bread that tastes best slathered with some extra Irish butter. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, or any day, the way you remember.
What makes this lightly sweet gluten free Irish soda bread so special?
I first developed this recipe many years ago when my gluten free son, who is now considerably taller than I am (and I'm not short) was in the early years of grammar school. They were “celebrating” St. Patrick's Day by sharing Irish soda bread.
Since he was already gluten free, and necessity is the mother of invention, I developed this recipe. I've been making it ever since—and when my son is feeling generous, he will remember the grammar school times to me.
Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread, not a yeast bread (although frankly I think it would make a fabulous yeast bread). And it's not your typical quick bread. First off, it isn't baked in a loaf pan like most quick breads. In fact, the Irish tradition began in the 1830's when baking soda was first introduced.
So there's that. But the way I go about things, it's also made more like a pastry. That means cold ingredients, chunks of butter, and a light touch when handling.
All that leads to a light, tender and almost flaky pastry-like bread. But it slices perfectly, either in wedges or more traditional slices.
Sometimes I make it with fewer raisins, sometimes with more. I honestly can't decide which I like better. I do know that it's just not the start of spring without some Irish Soda Bread.
Does gluten free Irish soda bread have to have raisins?
This recipe calls for at least 1 1/2 cups (or as much as 2 cups) raisins. I like Thompson raisins, but golden raisins like you see in the photos and video here are lovely, too.
You don't have to make Irish soda bread with raisins, but you'd need a substitute here. The recipe is developed to include a mix-in.
We also have a recipe for savory gluten free Irish soda bread, which doesn't even have a single raisin. The savory recipe is more like traditional bread, even though it's also leavened without yeast.
Tips to making the perfect gluten free Irish soda bread
There are a few things to keep in mind when following this recipe for gf Irish soda bread:
Take the size of the baking pan into account
This is a large loaf. The recipe calls for a full 4 cups (560 g) of all purpose gluten free flour.
The smaller the pan you bake it in, the longer you'll need to bake it. If you bake it in a 10-inch pan or skillet, it should bake completely in 40 minutes.
If your pan or skillet is 9-inches, 45 minutes should do the trick. If you go even smaller, like an 8-inch baking pan, you'll have to adjust the baking time and temperature.
For an 8-inch pan, bake for 30 minutes at 375°F. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, cover the loaf pan with foil to prevent burning, and bake for about another 30 minutes or until the top doesn't give noticeably when you press the center.
To make a much smaller loaf, you can split every ingredient in the recipe in half. Bake in a 6-inch pan for about 30 minutes.
Make sure your ingredients are cold
You're making a quick bread, but it's made more like a pastry. Be sure to use cold ingredients that are handled lightly, and you shouldn't have trouble making a successful loaf.
Select your gluten free flour blend carefully
Stick to Better Batter classic blend gluten free flour, like I used, or try Cup4Cup, which is an all purpose gluten free flour blend that is best for pastries since it's light and airy. If you can't buy either one, you can always make my mock blends. Just follow the link in the recipe card.
Gluten free Irish Soda Bread: Ingredients and substitutions
How to make gluten free dairy free Irish soda bread
The butter and buttermilk in this recipe are both dairy. You can try replacing the cold, chopped butter with Melt brand or Miyoko’s Kitchen brand vegan butter.
Spectrum brand non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening would probably also work. Just be careful about chilling it too much, since it becomes very hard when very cold, unlike butter.
In place of buttermilk, if you can have dairy, use half plain dairy yogurt and half whole milk, by volume. If you can't have dairy, use half plain nondairy yogurt and half unsweetened nondairy milk (I like almond milk best).
How to make gluten free egg free Irish soda bread
There are two eggs in this recipe. You might be able to replace each with a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).
Instead, you could try our recipe for savory gluten free Irish soda bread. That recipe doesn't call for eggs at all.
Can you make this gluten free Irish soda bread recipe without sugar?
This is a sweet Irish soda bread recipe. It has 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and is developed to use sugar.
Sugar isn't only a sweetener. It also adds bulk and tenderizes the bread. You may be able to reduce the sugar a bit, to 1/2 cup (100 grams), but I can't promise results.
For a savory version that only has a bit of sugar, that's even optional, please click the link above for the savory gf soda bread recipe.
FAQs
Why is there a cross cut into gf Irish soda bread?
The practical reason that we slice a deep cross into our raw gluten free Irish soda bread dough is to let heat escape during baking, allow the bread to bake fully all the way in the center of this large loaf, and to prevent the bread from splitting haphazardly. Also, the cross was originally thought to let the devil out of your Irish soda bread!
Does Irish soda bread contain gluten?
Yes! Unless Irish soda bread is made to be gluten free, it is made with wheat flour, which contains gluten. It isn't safe to eat conventional Irish soda bread on a gluten free diet—but you can eat this Irish soda bread because it's made to be gluten free!
Is Irish soda bread healthy to eat?
If you're on a yeast-free gluten free diet, but you still want to enjoy some crusty bread, this gluten free Irish soda bread recipe is a great choice. It is made with some sugar and with butter, so I'm not sure if it's really “health” food!
Does Trader Joe's have gluten free Irish soda bread?
No, the Irish soda bread that is sold at Trader Joe's around St. Patrick's Day is made with wheat flour, so it is not gluten free.
Can you make gluten free Irish soda bread without buttermilk?
Yes! You can replace the 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk in this recipe with:
- 3/4 cup cow's milk and 3/4 cup plain yogurt;
- 1 1/2 cups plain whole milk kefir; or
- 3/4 cup cow's milk and 3/4 cup sour cream
Do not try to replace buttermilk by adding a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to milk. The result will be a slightly sour, thin milk that has too much moisture and not the proper texture.
How to make classic gluten free Irish soda bread, step by step
Classic Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread | Lightly Sweet
Ingredients
- 4 cups (560 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter), plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter roughly chopped and chilled
- 1 ½ cups (225 ) raisins plus 1/2 cup more as desired
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs 100 g, weighed out of shell
- 1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) buttermilk chilled (plus more as necessary)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch round baking pan or a 10-inch cast iron skillet, and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the chopped and chilled butter, and toss to coat the butter in the dry ingredients. Between your well-floured thumb and forefinger, flatten each chunk of butter and return it to the dry ingredients.
- Add the raisins (more or less, to taste), and toss to coat the raisins in the dry ingredients.
- Place 1 1/2 cups of the chilled buttermilk in a large measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout, add the eggs, and whisk to combine well.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk and egg mixture and mix gently to combine. The dough should come together.
- With clean hands, knead the dough gently. If there are any spots that are dry and crumbly, add more buttermilk sparingly by the tablespoon as necessary to bring the dough together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle lightly with more flour. Pat the dough into a round that is approximately 9-inches in diameter, piling it higher toward the center and sprinkling lightly with more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
- Place the dough in the prepared baking pan and, with a very sharp knife, slice a large “X” on the top about 1-inch deep (each slash should be about 6-inches long). If the dough seems to have warmed during handling, place the pan in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes or until the butter is once again firm.
- Place the baking pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the bread is firm to the touch (about 45 minutes, depending on size).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool further.
- Slice and serve warm, with butter. It is also excellent the next day, toasted.
Notes
Classic Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread | Lightly Sweet
Ingredients
- 4 cups (560 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter), plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter roughly chopped and chilled
- 1 ½ cups (225 ) raisins plus 1/2 cup more as desired
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs 100 g, weighed out of shell
- 1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) buttermilk chilled (plus more as necessary)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch round baking pan or a 10-inch cast iron skillet, and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the chopped and chilled butter, and toss to coat the butter in the dry ingredients. Between your well-floured thumb and forefinger, flatten each chunk of butter and return it to the dry ingredients.
- Add the raisins (more or less, to taste), and toss to coat the raisins in the dry ingredients.
- Place 1 1/2 cups of the chilled buttermilk in a large measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout, add the eggs, and whisk to combine well.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk and egg mixture and mix gently to combine. The dough should come together.
- With clean hands, knead the dough gently. If there are any spots that are dry and crumbly, add more buttermilk sparingly by the tablespoon as necessary to bring the dough together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle lightly with more flour. Pat the dough into a round that is approximately 9-inches in diameter, piling it higher toward the center and sprinkling lightly with more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
- Place the dough in the prepared baking pan and, with a very sharp knife, slice a large “X” on the top about 1-inch deep (each slash should be about 6-inches long). If the dough seems to have warmed during handling, place the pan in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes or until the butter is once again firm.
- Place the baking pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the bread is firm to the touch (about 45 minutes, depending on size).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool further.
- Slice and serve warm, with butter. It is also excellent the next day, toasted.
Penny says
This was the best Irish Soda bread I have ever eaten. I need to eat dairy free as well as gluten free so I substituted plain vegan yogurt for the buttermilk and used vegan butter. It was light and buttery. Thank you for the recipe.
Lorrie says
Can you substitute almond flour?
Nicole Hunn says
No, Lorrie, almond flour is not an all purpose gluten free flour blend, and cannot be used to substitute for one. You’d need a recipe developed specifically to be made with almond flour.
Sarah L says
I just made this today and we absolutley love it!! I am so impressed, I never know how a new GF recipe will turn out or compare to the original and this is so good and tastes just like a gluten-containing soda bread. I also love that you include weighted measurements as I always feel that it yields a better results for GF recipes. Thank you!!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you had a good experience, Sarah, and that you appreciate the precision. It’s the only way to ensure results!
Brien says
This is my second attempt at an Irish soda bread recipe and it was a great success. It’s every bit as good as the gluten variety we used to buy at the local grocery.
I used dried currants for the fruit. When you specified a weight, I weighed instead of using volume. In the end, the dough was too wet to be worked or shaped. I added more gluten free flour and all was well. I think there must be a difference between brands of gf flour and their absorption of liquids.
Thanks for the recipe and for providing me the satisfaction of successfully fulfilling one of my cooking goals.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m really glad you had a good result, Brien. My recipes are only made successfully with the high quality all purpose gluten free flour blends that I specify, or one of the “mock” blends I have created to mimic them. If you used a different flour blend, it won’t behave as expected. I wish there were more blends that I could recommend.
JD says
What about King Arthur measure for measure?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid it doesn’t work in my recipes. It’s poorly balanced and gritty. Please click through the link in the recipe to my all purpose gluten free flour blends page for full and complete information on blends.
Jill Muller says
Going to try this- but one question, “cream of tartar” is something I am not familiar with. Is this a must have? I have all of the other ingredients so just asking before I go buy it. Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
You can just google “cream of tartar,” Jill, but it’s a very useful ingredient and worth purchasing in the spice section at every grocery store.