(This Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread recipe was inspired by the recipe found at Simply Recipes, so click here for that recipe.)
Step by Step Instructions:
Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread is the perfect accompaniment to your next meal (like St. Patty’s Day), so here’s what you’ll need: 4 cups (or more) of All-Purpose Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Raisins, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of Sugar, 4 tablespoons of chilled Vegan Butter (I used Earth Balance), and for dairy free buttermilk you’ll need Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar.
First things first, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Then measure 1 3/4 cup of almond milk.
Then to create your dairy free buttermilk, just add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the milk and give it a stir. Seriously that’s it, so just let it sit for 15 minutes or so.
Use a fork and lightly beat your egg.
In a large bowl, add 4 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and then a teaspoon each of salt and baking soda.
Use a wooden spoon to combine the dry ingredients, and I love my spurtle for this, because it’s awesome for stirring!
Then measure out a cup of raisins for an added sweet touch to your bread.
When it comes to the vegan butter, I treated it just like I would regular butter, so I popped it into the freezer until I was ready for it. Then you add the cold “butter” to the flour.
I find it’s easiest to use my hands to combine the butter, because I can feel the consistency much more easily. Just squeeze the butter with your finger tips to work it in, so then it breaks down into tiny crumbles. The cold butter is key here, because you don’t want your warm hands don’t melt it.
Then add in the raisins to the flour.
Then stir in the raisins so that they are incorporated throughout. Use your wooden spoon to create a well in the center of the flour, because you want to make room for the liquids.
Then add the egg to the well.
While the milk and vinegar set, you can see the milk has started to curdle a little bit, so you’re good to go!
Then add in the “buttermilk” to the flour.
Use your spurtle to combine the bread so that the liquid gets incorporated fully but not overtaxed. You may find you need to add more flour if the bread is super sticky, so go right ahead if needed.
Use your hands and lightly knead your dough in the bowl so it starts to come together. Just don’t overwork your dough, because you don’t want the bread to be tough.
Add some flour to your work surface and then turn out the dough.
Then gently shape the dough into a disc.
Grab a large, serrated knife like this one, because it’ll help you cut the bread more easily.
Now carefully cut an “X” about an inch deep in the center of the bread, so that you get this beautiful shape as the bread bakes.
Here it is from the top so you can see that it doesn’t have to be perfect because it should look rustic.
You have two options here to bake your Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread, so you can either use a cast iron skillet (which will take a bit longer to cook in) or a lined (with a Silpat) baking sheet. You can see I opted for the latter, so then transfer your bread carefully to the baking sheet. Then bake for 35-45 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick or skewer in the center and it comes out clean.
Here’s the lovely Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread, so you’ll let it sit on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.
Then transfer it to a cooling rack so it can cool slightly. Serve the bread while still warm or at room temperature, and then you can spread a little vegan butter over the top of your slice of bread when serving. I love this Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread and the touch of sweetness from the raisins to add a fun twist to your meal, so happy baking!!
Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
Bread Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups Almond Milk or nut milk you prefer
- 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups AP Flour
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 4 tablespoon Vegan Butter frozen (Earth Balance is what I use)
- 1 cup Raisins
- 1 large Egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 425.
- Next you’ll make your dairy free version of buttermilk by measuring out 1 3/4 cup of almond milk and adding 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Then give it a stir and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine 4 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Then add the chilled butter to the flour, and use your hands to help work the butter into the flour until the flour looks like coarse meal.
- Add the raisins to the flour and stir. Then create a well in the middle of the flour and add the beaten egg and dairy free buttermilk (your almond milk & vinegar mixture). Stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is incorporated adding more flour as needed.
- Being careful not to overwork the dough, turn it out onto a floured surface and shape it into a circle. Use a serrated knife to cut an “X” shape on the top that is about an inch deep.
- Transfer the bread to a lined baking sheet, and bake for 35-45 minutes or until you insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean. Let it stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Eat the bread while still warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
Delicious! I’m making another loaf tomorrow!