Classic Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread | Lightly Sweet

Name: Classic Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread | Lightly Sweet
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 4 cups 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 1/4 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (roughly chopped and chilled); 1 1/2 cups raisins (plus 1/2 cup more as desired); 2 eggs (100 g, weighed out of shell); 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (chilled (plus more as necessary))

By Nicole Hunn | Published: March 3, 2023 | Posted In: Breads, Quick Breads

gluten free Irish soda bread partially sliced

5 from 105 votes

Prep Time : 15

Cook Time : 45

This authentic-tasting gluten free Irish soda bread, made with baking soda and buttermilk, & no yeast. A classic Irish-American bread!

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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.

narrow, long bread slice of gluten free soda bread with raisins and softened butter on top on small white plate

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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, you don't bake it 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. Another distinction is that I make it more like a pastry. So I use cold ingredients, chunks of butter, and a light touch when handling.

Because of those changes, the bread is light, tender and almost flaky-pastry-like. But you can slice it 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 doesn't feel like the start of spring without some Irish Soda Bread.

Partially sliced sweet flat round loaf of bread with raisins on brown cutting board with tan cloth

Does this soda bread have to have raisins?

In this recipe, you need 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. This recipe must have some sort of mix-in pieces to succeed.

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 contains no yeast for leavening, either.

Closeup of shaped raw Irish soda bread dough with raisins in round metal baking pan

Tips to making the perfect free Irish soda bread

There are a few things to keep in mind when you follow 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 baking time will be longer if the pan you bake it in is smaller, because the oven's heat must penetrate all the way to the center of a thicker bread. If you use a 10-inch pan or skillet, baking should be complete 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. The link in the recipe card attached to the “all purpose gluten free flour blend” ingredient contains full information on selecting a proper flour blend.

Whole brown flat round loaf of Irish soda bread on on brown cutting board with bread knife and tan cloth

Gluten free Irish Soda Bread: Ingredients and substitutions

How to make dairy free Irish soda bread without gluten

The butter and buttermilk in this recipe both contain dairy. Try replacing the cold, chopped butter with Melt brand or Miyoko’s Kitchen brand vegan butter.

You may also be able to use Spectrum brand non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening. 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.

Round brown bread loaf of savory Irish soda bread with cross cut into center in black cast iron pan lined with white paper — **Savory gluten free Irish soda bread**

Can you make this 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 your results may not be as expected.

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.

Slice of long narrow bread with yellow raisins on small white plate with butter and butter knife and more slices in background

FAQs

Why is there a cross cut into gf Irish soda bread?

The deep cross sliced into raw gluten free Irish soda bread dough is to let heat escape during baking. The bread is then able to bake fully all the way in the center of this large loaf, without splitting haphazardly. Also, slicing the shape of cross into the bread 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 this 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. We make it with some sugar and plenty of 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 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, which will lead to a slightly sour, thin milk that has too much moisture and not the proper texture.

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Classic Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread | Lightly Sweet

This authentic-tasting gluten free Irish soda bread, made with baking soda and buttermilk, & no yeast. A classic Irish-American bread!

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Irish

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Yield: 10 slices

Author: Nicole Hunn

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

Originally published on the blog in 2015. In 2021, some images, video, and some text new; in 2023, new text resources added.