Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread
Gluten free Irish soda bread recipe made with caraway seeds and currants. Delicious with a cup of tea or any savory dish. This tasty quick bread doesn’t require any yeast or proofing time. Mix, bake, and slice up right out of the oven. Be sure to smear each slice with Irish butter!
Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Have you eaten Irish soda bread before? If not, you are in for a delicious treat!
I’ve made a more traditional-style Irish Brown Soda Bread with whole wheat flour, but until now, I haven’t tried baking soda bread with currants and caraway seeds.
Just those two little additional ingredients; currants and caraway seeds are such a flavorful addition!
Homemade breads don’t often make an appearance in my house. Why? Because the few times I tried to make a loaf of bread, the yeast never got bubbly, which leads to a big fat fail!
I will admit though, that when you follow a couple of tips that I have since learned (check expiration date of the yeast – doh!), and practice a few times, then bread baking is quite satisfying!
However, this bread recipe is yeast-less! No yeast or any special proofing required and in under an hour you will have homemade fresh bread.
For this recipe, I decided to try a gluten free four instead of all-purpose flour and I have to say this turned out fabulous!
Winter Blog Hop
I picked this recipe for the Freaky Friday Blog Hop that my friend Michaela from An Affair From The Heart hosts.
In fact, you might remember this Greek-style cauliflower rice salad that I make from Michael’s site for the last blog hop.
The point of the blog hop is to introduce you to new recipes and bloggers! Michaela assigns each of us (about 18 bloggers) a site, and we get to pick a recipe of our choice to share with you, which we keep secret until now.
Drum roll please…I’m so happy that today is reveal day!
Gluten Free Irish Soda Recipe From House of Nash Eats
Friends, my secret blogger is Amy who is the recipe developer, and all-around terrific lady over at House of Nash Eats.
Although I have never met Amy in person, I feel like I know her because just about every day I take a peek at what she’s up to on her Instagram stories.
Plus, we are practically neighbors! We’re both in Northern California going through the same droughts, wildfires, and a few earthquakes too!
Before deciding on making Amy’s Irish soda bread, I had my eye on her jambalaya recipe, cast iron pan pizza, and these incredible dulce de leche cupcakes.
Not only is Amy a fabulous and creative cook, but she’s also a mama to two sweet girls, wife, a world traveler, and a former attorney. She’s one smart cookie with so many talents.
Amy’s website is filled with family friendly recipes with an amazing dessert selection. I know you will be bookmarking several of her recipes to try!
How to make gluten free Irish soda bread
As mentioned earlier, this bread is a simple quick bread. No yeast required! Yippee – so even a beginner baker can make gluten free Irish soda bread with success!
You also have a couple of options. Bake two 6-inch boules like I did or one large loaf!
Ingredients needed – wet and dry:
You will need the following dry ingredients:
- Gluten free flour – I used King Arthur Baking Company’s measure for measure flour, which is a 1:1 substitute for wheat flour. My grocery store sells this brand.
- Granulated sugar – Note I forgot to add in the recipe, so I topped each boule with a teaspoon of sugar on top of the bread.
- Baking soda, salt
- Currants or raisins (optional) – I prefer the currants over the raisins. They’re petite and add a nice sweet flavor.
- Caraway seeds (optional) – Amy didn’t add these in her recipe, but I had the spice and wanted to test it out. It adds a mild sweet licorice flavor – Delish!
You will need the following wet ingredients:
- Egg
- Butter
- Buttermilk
Easy steps for quick bread
This gluten free Irish soda bread comes together quickly, and so delicious right out of the oven!
NOTE: I plumped the currants by placing them in some water for about 15 minutes, then drained them. This is an optional step.
Prepare dry and wet ingredients in separate mixing bowls
- Whisk together dry ingredients; gluten free flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and caraway seeds.
- In a separate bowl stir together the egg, melted butter (cooled), and buttermilk.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry while tossing in the currants and stir just until the ingredients are incorporated.
Form bread with hands
For the next step you will tenderly knead the bread (I did this right in the bowl) a couple of times.
Form one large 12″ round bread or two smaller boules.
Cut the top of the bread
Before baking you will cut the top of the loaf (or loaves) in the shape of a X or cross.
Why do you cut the bread?
This helps cook the bread evenly.
Also, the cut of the cross is a tradition that goes back centuries and either is meant to let out the fairies (aka Irish Leprechauns) or ward off evil protecting the household.
Can I replace the buttermilk with regular milk?
No. You need the acid from the buttermilk to interact with the baking soda for this yeast free loaf.
However, in a pinch you can replicate buttermilk by adding lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk.
Here’s how you will do that; add two tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a two cup measuring cup. Add whole or 2% milk to the two cup mark. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. You’ll notice that the milk will thicken into a bumpy curdle. You want that!
For best results, I recommend using full-fat buttermilk.
Can I use all-purpose flour?
Yes! Instead of using gluten free flour you can make this bread with all-purpose flour. There is no need to make any adjustments to the recipe.
How to store gluten free bread
If you have leftover bread it is best to freeze it. To do this, slice the bread, wrap each slice in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag.
Gluten free bread tends to dry quickly, so I don’t recommend keeping it in the refrigerator.
This is one of the reasons I made two small loaves. One we ate right away and the other I gave to a neighbor so they could enjoy right out of the oven too.
Hope you enjoy making this bread as much as I did! Let me know how you like the recipe will you?
Take a look at all of our 2021 Freaky Friday Winter Edition Recipes:
- An Affair from the Heart – Copy Cat Taco Bell Enchirito
- Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Three Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
- The Carefree Kitchen – Lemon Bundt Cake
- The Culinary Compass – Rotel Sausage Dip
- Devour Dinner – Cheese Enchiladas
- The Foodie Affair – Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread
- The Fresh Cooky – Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail
- House of Nash Eats – Pineapple Casserole
- Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- Lemoine Family Kitchen – Red Beans & Rice
- Life, Love & Good Food – Pan Seared Scallops
- Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish – Weeknight Broccoli Shrimp Stir Fry
- Off the Eaten Path – Extra Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Soulfully Made – Stuffed Pepper Meatloaf
- The Speckled Palate – Pretzel Cheese Dip
- Sugar Dish Me – Cheesecake Brownies with Graham Cracker Crust
- Take Two Tapas – Buffalo Chicken Taquitos in the Air Fryer
- West Via Midwest – Frito Corn Salad
Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds optional
- 1 cup currants or raisins optional
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup butter mostly melted
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Â
- Place currants in a small bowl and top with water just covering the top. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before draining. Place on a paper towel to soak up the water.
- Sift the gluten free flour, sugar, soda, salt over a large mixing bowl. Gently fold in the caraway seeds (if using).Â
- In a separate medium size mixing bowl, whisk the egg, butter, and buttermilk together. Add the egg mix to the flour mixture with the currants, and stir together with a fork just until combined (be tender and don't over mix).
- Flour your hands and lightly knead the dough just until the dough comes together (no more than a couple of kneads). The dough should still be shaggy. Â
- Divide the dough into two pieces and with your hands shape into round boules OR pat into one large round bread. Place on prepared parchment-lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife cut an "X" about an inch deep into the top of the loaf.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until browned on top and baked through. Check for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle of the bread to test it.
- Cool on a baking rack before serving. Enjoy with Irish butter.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
PIN TO YOUR BREAD BOARDS!
I’m so excited! Finding good GF Recipes is so difficult. I can’t wait to make this bread for my nephew.
This looks like a great recipe for me to try!
I love the combo of currants and caraway seeds, so yummy!! I love a great bread recipe and I can’t wait to try this one too. Thanks for the great stpe-by-step instructions.
I love your tip for “plumping” the currants! Soaking them definitely makes a huge difference — great recipe!
It does make a difference to plump the currants, especially when using GF flour. Helps add some moisture.
I feel like I know you too through IG and groups and I’m so glad you made this soda bread! It’s such a good one, especially with the sweet currants, and I love to make it to celebrate my Irish heritage! I’m so glad to know it works well with simple gluten-free adaptations!
Irish soda bread is a keeper, Amy! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
I am not a great baker but your photos are making me want to try my hand at this recipe! I love your suggestion of serving it with a cup of tea…I would want to slather a bunch of Irish butter on top too!
This is perfect for beginner baker. Irish soda bread is fool proof and oh so delicious!
I’ve never made Irish soda bread before, much less any breads, but I can’t wait to try this! I am working on my menu for St. Patrick’s day and this is definitely going on it!
My nephew is eating GF and I have shared this delicious bread with him! He is so excited to make it for his family! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
I can’t wait to try this Soda Bread recipe! I’ve never made it before, but it looks so good!
My sister was recently diagnosed with something that they believe would have lesser symptoms if she ate gluten free— her favorite thing is bread so I have this baking in the oven right now. If it tastes even half as good as it smells we have a winner! Thanks for the option!
I have never tried Irish soda bread before, but I definitely need to soon! This looks really good and I imagine the currants and the caraway add great flavor.
I love that you made a gluten free version of this bread. I have been getting more and more requests for GF foods and I love being able to share posts like yours with my readers! Thank you so much!
I absolutely love Irish Soda Bread and this recipe sounds so simple! Will be baking this up soon!