Vegan Soda Bread - Six Hungry Feet - Recipes - Baking (2024)

If you have ever been to Ireland, you will probably remember this bread as it's served among most of the cafes with the classic "Soup of the day".

I fell in love with Soda Bread the first time I came to Ireland with Astra. A bowl of hearty warm veggie soup with a piece of a freshly baked soda bread, yum! Now, back in Ireland for a couple of weeks, we have been baking our Vegan Soda Bread at home and it tastes just like the regular one.

The regular Soda Bread is made with buttermilk. Buttermilk is the liquid that’s left after the cream is churned to make butter. When buttermilk is combined with baking soda it reacts as a raising agent. Our Vegan Soda Bread is made with plant-based milk being suitable for people with lactose intolerance, vegans and for those of you that are trying to reduce the consumption of dairy.

To help our bread to rise we add baking soda and for the acidity that buttermilk naturally has, lemon juice or white vinegar are both good substitutes. We don't add lemon juice or vinegar, as we find that the recipe is perfect without this ingredient, so our Soda Bread recipe contains just five ingredients that you will most probably already have at home.

Why is Soda Bread the perfect bread to bake at home.

• You don't need baking skills. To make soda bread you don't need to have any previous baking skills or knowledge. If this is your first time making bread at home, this recipe is perfect for you. As well, this is an amazing chance to get your little ones involved in the kitchen!
• Simple ingredients. Our vegan soda bread is made with really basic ingredients that you will most probably have already at home or will easily find in your local supermarket. Plant-based milk, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt is all you need to have a delicious soda bread made in 40 minutes.
• Quick recipe. In order to make this type of bread, you don't need to knead the dough or leave it rising. Once all the ingredients are combined, you will have a humid dough and all you need to do is shape it and bake it for about 30 minutes.
• No special kitchenware needed. All you need is a big mixing bowl and a baking tray.

How to make Soda Bread Step by Step

1. Mix the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt and baking soda in a big mixing bowl.
2. Add the plant-based milk and use your hand to combine all the ingredients
3. Keep mixing until all the ingredients are perfectly incorporated and you have formed a round-shaped dough. Make sure you don't overwork the mixture.
4. Transfer the dough into a floured baking tray and cut a deep cross on the centre.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes and leave to cool completely.

How to serve and keep soda bread

Once your Soda Bread is cooked, leave it to cool completely before cutting it into slices. If you try cutting the bread while hot, it will be more difficult to slice. You can then cut the bread into quarters and slice each quarter, or cut it in half and make bigger slices.

The only way I know about serving soda bread is with loads of butter on the top. We use plant-based butter, or one of our homemade nut butter, like Cashew Butter, so so yummy. We love baking soda bread when we are having a hearty soup or stew such as Vegan Minestrone, Vegan Irish Stew, or this delicious Leek and Potato Soup. It makes for a filling and delicious lunch.

If you have any leftovers, which we normally don't have, keep the bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. You can reheat it, or make a lovely toast with the leftover soda bread.

How to make Gluten-free Vegan Soda Bread

If you have a gluten allergy, or intolerance or simply want to reduce the amount of gluten in your diet, you can still enjoy the traditional Irish soda bread. We try making a gluten-free version and it was really good. I still prefer the regular flour soda bread, but my sister-in-law who has gluten allergy was greatly surprised and loved our recipe.

To make our recipe gluten-free, substitute the white and whole wheat flour for gluten-free flour. We used gluten-free self-rising flour for this recipe and the rest of the ingredients can be kept the same. If you find the dough to be quite dry, add some more soy milk. We added 50 ml extra. Baking time will be a bit longer, so add 10 more minutes to the time listed in our recipe.

Other Plant-based Irish Recipes:

• Oven-baked Vegan Hash Browns
• Leek and Potato Soup
• Vegan Leek and Mushroom Pie
• Vegan Fish and Chips
• Vegan Mashed Potatoes
• 15 Traditional Irish Recipes