Need gluten free bread in a hurry? This easy Gluten Free Soda Bread recipe is ready in just 40 minutes, with no kneading or proving required. (Plus it’s very easy to make dairy free if you need this Gluten Free Soda Bread to be dairy free too!)
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One of my all-time most requested recipes!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I am somewhat obsessed with soda bread… I have 12+ different versions on this site!
I love soda bread so much because it is so quick and easy to make – no kneading, no proving, no waiting around for hours – and yet it tastes just as delicious as ‘normal’ bread.
However, over the years, you guys have kept asking me for one very specific version: gluten free soda bread!
Well, I’m sorry it has taken me so long, but tada! I’ve finally made gluten free soda bread… Better still, it’s very easy to make this dairy free too, if you need this soda bread to be both dairy AND gluten free.
How to make Gluten Free Soda Bread
This gluten free soda bread is super-simple to make!
All you need to do is mix together gluten free plain flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Then, in a jug, mix together milk and apple cider vinegar (see the recipe card below for alternatives). Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Leave the mixture to rest for 5 minutes, then roll the dough into a ball and place on a prepared baking tray. Flatten the ball a little and then cut a deep cross into it. Sprinkle the loaf with a little gluten free plain flour and bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked all the way through and golden on top.
Ideally, serve warm – straight out of the oven!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
No need for buttermilk
Traditional Irish soda bread is made with buttermilk.
However, buttermilk can be hard to find and/or a little pricey. Plus, it’s not something most of us keep in stock in our kitchens…
But the good news you can make ‘fake buttermilk’ simply by mixing regular milk and vinegar. (My preference is apple cider vinegar, but you can also use white wine vinegar – or even red wine vinegar as a push. I’d steer clear of malt vinegar, though!)
And if you need this recipe to be dairy free, simply use your favourite dairy free milk in place of regular cow’s milk. I prefer to use oat milk as it has quite a neutral taste, but almond milk also works well.
If you don’t have any milk, you could even use water. And if you don’t have any vinegar, you could use lemon juice.
You could also substitute the milk/vinegar combo for natural yogurt. (You may need to add a splash of water to get the consistency right.)
If you prefer to use buttermilk too, that’s totally OK! I find this recipe works best with 285ml (10oz) buttermilk.
A couple of things you need to know about Gluten Free Soda Bread…
If you’re familiar with gluten free flour, you’ll know that it behaves very differently to regular flour!
That means, in this recipe, the dough definitely behaves a little differently to a soda bread dough made with regular flour – this results in a slightly flatter loaf, compared to regular soda bread. Don’t worry if your loaf comes out a little flat / dense – that is completely normal. It will still taste delicious! (And remember, soda bread is supposed to be more dense than regular bread.)
The other thing about gluten free flour, is it can be a be a bit ‘gritty’ – usually due to the presence of rice flour. To help with this, I rest the dough for 5 minutes before shaping and baking. Resting the mixture for 5 minutes before shaping and baking means the flour can absorb some of the liquid from the milk, resulting in a less ‘gritty’ texture.
What is the best flour for gluten free soda bread?
I have to confess, I have not tried every gluten free flour on the market(!) But my favourite of the ones I have tried is Doves Farm Freee Gluten Free Plain Flour.
One big mistake people make with soda bread is using the wrong flour. Soda bread should be made with plain flour NOT self-raising flour or bread flour. Using self-raising or bread flour will not give you a good result.
This goes for gluten free soda bread too. Make sure you use gluten free plain flour to make soda bread NOT gluten free bread flour or gluten free self-raising flour!
Can you use baking powder in soda bread?
No! Baking powder won’t work. You must use baking soda (AKA bicarbonate of soda). It is the reaction between the acid in the buttermilk / vinegar / lemon juice and the baking soda that helps the soda bread to rise.
Why do you need to cut a cross in soda bread?
Cutting a deep cross in the middle of the soda bread helps the heat to penetrate right to the centre of the bread really fast, so it cooks through properly.
If you don’t cut the big cross, you are likely to find the outside of the soda bread is cooked before the middle of the soda bread.
(Some people also cut a cross in soda bread for superstitious reasons, as they believe the cross in the top of the soda bread will let the fairies out and/or ward off evil and bring good luck.)
What to serve with Gluten Free Soda Bread?
Soda bread is delicious warm out of the oven, just as it is – or slathered with butter. It’s also wonderful with antipasti type foods, such as or cheese, olives and cold meats.
Alternatively, it is a brilliant accompaniment to soups and stews. For example:
- Easy Carrot and Potato Soup
- 5 A Day Soup
- Easy Parsnip and Apple Soup
- Curried Parsnip Soup (Only 4 Ingredients!)
- Immune System Booster Soup
(Shown here with my Easy Bacon and Lentil Soup.)
Gluten Free Soda Bread with Bacon and Lentil Soup
How long does gluten free soda bread keep?
Just like regular soda bread, gluten free soda bread does not keep especially long and is best eaten on the day you make it. The day after you make it, it will still taste OK, but it’s usually starting to go a little stale. If you do have some left over the next day, I recommend that you toast it – toasted soda bread is very delicious!
Can you freeze gluten free soda bread?
Absolutely! Gluten Free Soda Bread freezes really well. Just make sure you freeze it on the day you bake it and that it is completely cool and well wrapped (wrapping should be airtight – e.g. a freezer bag) before putting it in the freezer.
You can freeze soda bread as a whole loaf or cut it into slices first.
It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and either eat it at room temperature or toast it.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Gluten Free Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 350 g gluten free plain flour (I use Doves Farm Free Gluten Free Plain Flour - see Note 1)
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste (see Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (see Note 3)
- 200 ml milk (see Note 4)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (see Note 5)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F. Dust a non-stick baking tray with a little gluten free plain flour.
- In a large bowl, mix together thoroughly the gluten free plain flour, salt and baking soda.
- In a jug, mix together the milk and vinegar.
- Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Leave the mixture to rest for 5 minutes. (See Note 6.)
- Bring the dough together into a ball using your hands. The dough should just come together into a ball, but shouldn’t be wet and sloppy. (If it doesn’t all come together, add a splash of water. If it’s too wet and sloppy add a touch more flour.)
- Roll the dough into a ball and place on your prepared baking tray.
- Flatten the ball a little and then cut a deep cross into it. The cross should go almost to the base of the loaf – but not quite!
- Sprinkle the loaf with a little gluten free plain flour.
- Bake the loaf in your pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked all the way through and golden on top.
- Ideally, serve warm – straight out of the oven!
Notes
- Be sure to use plain (all purpose) gluten free plain flour NOT gluten free bread flour and NOT gluten free self-raising flour.
- Salt is a very personal thing. I find ½ to 1 teaspoon is about right for my own personal tastes, but feel free to adjust to suit your own personal preferences.
- Be sure to use baking soda (which is the same as bicarbonate of soda) DO NOT use baking powder, which is a different thing entirely!
- Traditionally soda bread uses buttermilk, however buttermilk can be hard to get hold of and expensive. Regular milk plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar (or lemon juice) works just as well, and means you don’t have to go out and buy special ingredients for this recipe. However, if you prefer, you can use 285g (10oz) buttermilk or 285g (10oz) natural yogurt in this recipe, in place of the milk AND vinegar. Any milk will work in this recipe. I use regular cow’s milk, but you can use a plant-based milk, if you need this to be vegan or dairy free.
- Alternatively, you can use white wine vinegar or lemon juice. At a push you could use red wine vinegar, but DO NOT use malt vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
- I would normally put soda bread straight into the oven, but I find gluten free flour can be a bit ‘gritty’ if you do that. Resting the mixture for 5 minutes before shaping and baking means the flour can absorb some of the liquid from the milk, resulting in a less ‘gritty’ texture. The 5 minute resting time does not affect the loaf’s ability to rise in the oven.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
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