Easy Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread Recipe

This amazing gluten-free Irish soda bread recipe is made with gluten-free flour, cold butter, buttermilk, and just enough sugar to sweeten the loaf.  Thanks to the baking soda, there’s no rise time needed. So it’s a quick and easy bread to make. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

If you’ve never had Irish soda bread, you’re in for a treat. Although it has “bread” right in the name, it’s nothing like gluten-free sandwich bread or gluten-free pumpkin bread. Irish soda bread is more like a giant scone or biscuit. And that’s what makes it so irresistible. 

This recipe is inspired by the sweet, raisin, and caraway-filled loaves found in the United States around St. Patrick’s day. It’s such a treat to eat and really fun to make.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe.

• Easy to make. You can make a loaf in about an hour.
• Delicate texture. 
• Great plain or with raisins or caraway seeds. 

Ingredients.

Here’s what you need to make this bread. As always, the full ingredient list and steps are included at the bottom of the post. 

• Gluten-Free Flour. A gluten-free flour blend works great in this easy bread. The recipe was developed with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. If you use a gluten-free flour blend that does not contain xanthan gum, add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum to the recipe.
• Granulated Sugar. Brings a subtle sweetness to the bread and helps it brown.
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder. The combination of baking soda and baking powder gives this bread a nice texture.
• Salt. Enhances all the other flavors. Use table salt. It blends easily into the dough.
• Butter. Gives the soda bread flavor and richness.
• Buttermilk. Adds great tangy flavor. When combined with the baking soda, it helps the bread to rise.
• Egg. The egg helps the gluten-free dough come together.
• Raisins. (Optional) This is American-style Irish soda bread. It contains both raisins and caraway seeds. Feel free to use both or…skip both. It’s up to you.
• Caraway Seeds. (Optional)Adds an anise-like flavor and a little crunch. 

Variations. 

Egg-free substitutions.
To make this bread without the egg, simply leave the egg out and add two tablespoons of additional buttermilk. When made without the egg, the bread doesn’t rise quite as high but still tastes great. 

Dairy-free substitutions.
If you’re dairy-free, make the following adjustments. 

• Replace the cold butter with your favorite dairy-free butter or margarine. 
• Buttermilk. You can use dairy-free plain yogurt or combine 1 cup dairy-free milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir the dairy-free milk with the lemon juice to combine. Let it sit for five minutes or until it’s slightly thick.

How to Make Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread.

Irish soda bread is an interesting bread to make. The method is similar to making gluten-free biscuits. You start by working the cold butter into the gluten-free flour. This gives the bread a wonderful texture. Here’s what you need to do.

Make the Dough.

1. Combine the dry ingredients. Place the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. Whisk everything together to combine. Use a whisk or large fork to do this.
3. Work the butter in. Add the cold butter. I like to cut my butter into small cubes. But you can grate the butter on a box grater. Grated butter mixes easily into the dough.
4. Rub the butter into the gluten-free flour. Do this with either your fingers or a pastry cutter. Work the butter into the flour until no large pieces of butter remain. If you’re using grated butter, this goes quickly.
   The small pieces of butter that remain, about the size of a pea, give off steam during baking. The steam helps the dough to rise. 

5. Add the liquid. Once the butter is mixed throughout the dough, add the buttermilk and egg. Stir until a thick dough forms. If the dough seems dry or you notice gluten-free flour in the bottom of the bowl, add a little more buttermilk. 
6. Add the raisins and caraway seeds. If you aren’t using these ingredients, skip this step.
7. Stir to combine. Give the dough a quick stir to incorporate the raisins and caraway seeds. Again, if the dough seems dry, add a little more buttermilk. And if it seems too wet, add a little gluten-free flour.
8. Pat into a disk. Once the dough comes together, dust your counter with gluten-free flour. Knead it gently until it holds together. Then pat it into a round. 

Bake Until Brown. 

9. Transfer the loaf to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut a cross into the top. Cutting the top of the dough helps it to rise. Use a sharp knife to do this.
10. Bake until brown. This loaf takes about an hour to bake. Check it after 45 minutes by gently pressing on the center. It should feel firm, not doughy. A cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.  
    Baking Tip: If the top of the loaf browns before the center bakes, cover it with foil. 

How to Serve.

I usually enjoy this bread on it’s own. Sometimes I lightly toast it and spread with a little butter. It’s also great served alongside corned beef dinner or a roast chicken and cooked green vegetables.

How to Store.

This bread lasts about three days on the counter. After that, it tends to get dry and crumbly. 

Tips for Freezing. 

If you want to freeze this bread, I suggest cutting it into slices before freezing. Place a piece of parchment paper between the slices to keep them from sticking. Gluten-free Irish Soda bread can be frozen in a freezer bag or container for up to three months.

Baker’s Tip: Remember to let it cool completely before freezing. If you freeze warm bread, it can trap steam, leading to poor texture or even mold. We want to avoid this! So let the bread cool and then freeze it.

Recipe originally shared March 2021. Updated to include step-by-step photos March 2024.