Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread

Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread is an easy quick bread that is perfect for dunking in hearty soups and stews.

Close up of sliced Irish Soda Bread slathered with butter with remaining loaf blurred in background.

If you’re looking for an easy bread recipe, look no further. This Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread requires no yeast, no proofing, and no waiting to rise. Simply mix the ingredients together, form into a ball, then press into a cast iron skillet.

If you like a rustic loaf with a thick, crusty exterior and hearty interior, Irish Soda Bread is a winner. It has a mild flavor, making it the perfect vehicle for mopping up soups and gravies. I even like it toasted for breakfast with a slather of butter and a little drizzle of honey.

While it does take a while to cook (about an hour), the prep is only about twenty minutes. It’s an easy bread to make, even for beginning bakers.

Full loaf of Irish Soda Bread baked in a cast iron skillet.

FAQS:

What is traditional Irish Soda Bread made with?

Traditionally, only four ingredients were used: wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and sour milk. Today, buttermilk is more commonly used, and people often add in ingredients like butter, egg, caraway seeds, raisins, currants, and a sweetener like sugar or honey.

Why is a cross cut in the top of Soda Bread?

It was thought that cutting a cross in the top of the loaf would “let the fairies out or ward off evil and protect the household.” (See Trafalgar’s Short but Fascinating History of Irish Soda Bread for more on the history and tradition of Irish Soda Bread.)

How long does Irish Soda Bread stay fresh?

This bread is best eaten within a day or two. You can store it at room temperature tightly wrapped or in an airtight container for three to four days, but beyond that, it begins to dry out. It does freeze very well for up to two or three months. Simply slice the bread, then store it wrapped in an airtight container in the freezer. To reheat, simply remove the amount of bread you wish to use, then heat in a toaster oven until heated through.

HOW TO PREPARE GLUTEN-FREE IRISH SODA BREAD:

Ingredients for Irish Soda Bread measured and prepped. — **You will need these ingredients ⇧**

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Spray a 10-inch cast iron skillet lightly with oil.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum (if using), and caraway seeds in a large bowl.
Dice the butter, and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, a fork, a smash with your fingers.
Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a large measuring cup or bowl. Create a well in the flour mixture, and slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients using a large spoon. Form into a loose ball in the bowl.
Sprinkle a cutting board with a few tablespoons of flour.
Place the dough onto the cutting board, and knead a few times into a round loaf.
Place the loaf in the cast iron skillet, and flatten lightly with your hands. Cut an X into the top of the bread, taking care not to cut all the way through the loaf.
Bake for 55-60 minutes. Check the loaf starting at 45 minutes. If it is browning excessively, cover loosely with foil. The loaf will sound hollow when you tap on it, and a cake tester or toothpick should come out clean when inserted into the middle of the bread when it is done.

Alternatively, you can use your stand mixer to prepare the dough.

Simply add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, blend at low speed to mix the ingredients. Add the diced butter, then continue blending at low speed until the butter is combined with the dry ingredients.
Whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a large measuring cup or bowl. Slowly add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture while mixing at low speed. Stop mixing when the ingredients begin to form a loose ball.
Continue following the directions above to prepare the loaf for baking.

Adding the salt and baking soda to the flour in a large stainless steel bowl. — Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl.

Whisking the dry ingredients together in a large stainless steel bowl. — Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS FOR IRISH SODA BREAD:

This is definitely the perfect bread for dunking into soups and stews.
It’s also the perfect accompaniment for soaking up the gravy from shepherd’s pie or cottage pie.
I love Irish Soda Bread toasted with a slather of butter and a drizzle of honey for breakfast in the morning.
Another breakfast idea? Serve with runny eggs, and use the bread to mop up those yolks.

Slices of Irish Soda Bread spread with butter with butter knife in foreground and blurred loaf in cast iron skillet in background.

Inspired Fresh Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for supporting Inspired Fresh Life.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS:

Don’t have buttermilk on hand? You can use half milk and half plain yogurt whisked together. This comes close to replicating the texture and flavor of buttermilk.
If you’re not a fan of caraway seeds, simply omit them.
Many modern Irish Soda Bread recipes call for raisins or currants. Feel free to add a cup of either if you like.

RECIPE NOTES:

I use my cast iron skillets on an almost a daily basis. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can bake the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
This recipe was tested using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. Other flour blends may perform differently.
Omit the xanthan gum if your gluten-free flour blend contains it.
I have made Irish Soda Bread both with a stand mixer and mixing by hand. While there was no noticeable difference in the final loaves, the stand mixer does save some preparation time.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card and/or a review in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Are you following along on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook?

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER:

Pinterest image for Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread.

OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE:

Irish Beef Stew

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Ham and Bean soup in a white bowl with a hand holding the spoon.

Easy Ham and Bean Soup

Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread is an easy, no yeast quick bread that is perfect for dunking in hearty soups and stews. If you like a rustic loaf with a thick, crusty exterior and hearty interior, this bread recipe is a winner.

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose gluten-free baking flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum (Omit if your flour blend contains it.)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 ¾ cups buttermilk, full fat
1 large egg

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Spray a 10-inch cast iron skillet lightly with oil.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum (if using), and caraway seeds in a large bowl.
Dice the butter, and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, a fork, a smash with your fingers.
Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a large measuring cup or bowl. Create a well in the flour mixture, and slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients using a large spoon. Form into a loose ball in the bowl.
Sprinkle a cutting board with a few tablespoons of flour.
Place the dough onto the cutting board, and knead a few times into a round loaf.
Place the loaf in the cast iron skillet, and flatten lightly with your hands. Cut an X into the top of the bread, taking care not to cut all the way through the loaf.
Bake for 55-60 minutes. Check the loaf starting at 45 minutes. If it is browning excessively, cover loosely with foil. The loaf will sound hollow when you tap on it, and a cake tester or toothpick should come out clean when inserted into the middle of the bread when it is done.
Alternatively, you can use your stand mixer to prepare the dough.

Simply add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, blend at low speed to mix the ingredients. Add the diced butter, then continue blending at low speed until the butter is combined with the dry ingredients.
Whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a large measuring cup or bowl. Slowly add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture while mixing at low speed. Stop mixing when the ingredients begin to form a loose ball.
Continue following the directions above to prepare the loaf for baking.

Notes

Don’t have buttermilk on hand? You can use half milk and half plain yogurt whisked together. This comes close to replicating the texture and flavor of buttermilk.
If you’re not a fan of caraway seeds, simply omit them.
Many modern Irish Soda Bread recipes call for raisins or currants. Feel free to add a cup of either if you like.
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can bake the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Omit the xanthan gum if your flour blend contains it.
This recipe was tested using Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. Other flour blends may perform differently.