St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and everyone in Chicago is gearing up for next weekend’s dying of the Chicago river and annual parade! Which means I spent this weekend recipe testing to create the perfect gluten-free, vegan Irish soda bread!
Irish soda bread is a quick bread made with baking soda as a leavening agent instead of yeast resulting in a dense savory bread with a texture that is a cross between a scone and a biscuit. The ingredients of traditional Irish soda bread include flour, baking soda, buttermilk, eggs, butter and raisins.
This healthier version features a blend of gluten-free flours (garbanzo bean, fava bean and brown rice), nondairy milk, ground flax seeds, sweet currants and savory caraways seeds. Whether you need a large loaf to gift to family and friends or several small mini loafs for your St. Patrick’s Day brunch, this gluten-free, vegan, superfood-rich Irish soda bread recipe is one you can feel good about!
Gluten-Free Vegan Irish Soda Bread
vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, shellfish-free, fish-free
Makes 1 large loaf or 4 mini loaves (Serves 8)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
- 3 Tbsp warm water
- 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- ¾ cup garbanzo bean/fava bean flour mix
- 1/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup potato starch
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp gelatin (or agar powder for completely vegan version)
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- ½ cup currants
Method
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- In a small bowl, combine ground flax seed and warm water. Whisk together and set aside.
- In another small bowl, combine almond milk and lemon juice. Whisk together and set aside.
- Combine flax mixture and milk mixture together. Add coconut oil and whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, sift together garbanzo bean flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, coconut sugar, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda and gelatin. Stir to combine.
- Add wet ingredient and stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Fold in caraway seeds and currants.
- Transfer batter into a muffin tin or loaf pan, filling until nearly full as contents don’t rise much.
- Bake muffins for 35 minutes or large loaf for 50 minutes until top(s) are golden brown. The longer you cook this bread, the drier, more biscuit-like it will become; shorter cooking time will result in the texture of a moister sweet bread.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and serving.
265 calories | 43g carb | 4g protein | 9g fat | 385mg sodium | 10g sugar
Serve Irish soda bread with a hearty stew for a savory meal or top with a pat of vegan butter and a drizzle of honey or agave nectar for a sweet snack!
In light of the holiday, I thought it would be fun to highlight some old food photography of mine from 2010 when I last posted about Irish Soda Bread. When I started my blog back in 2009, blogger food photography was a totally different ballgame – a point-and-shoot camera and enough light to produce an in-focus image was sufficient. But over the years, bloggers have seriously stepped up their game.
Beginning with my days in the dark room of my high school to the day I first laid hands on a digital DSLR in 2010, I have always had a passion for photography. But if I’m being totally honest here, understanding the camera and photo composition never came easy to me. While I am still learning new things every day (there is always room for improvement!), years of food photography research, countless hours of practice, and a love for the hobby has kept me striving to create mouthwatering images that truly showcase how delicious healthy food can be!
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About Me
My name is Amari Thomsen and I'm a Chicago dietitian, blogger, and food enthusiast! What once began as a simple food blog has since blossomed into my own nutrition consulting practice, Eat Chic Chicago! As a food and nutrition expert, I believe that eating healthy is about more than just counting calories; it's about real, wholesome and delicious food! So fuel your body with the food it deserves and look beyond tasteless diet foods with Eat Chic Chicago's unique nutrition counseling services and corporate wellness programs!
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