Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread is the perfect quick bread for Saint Patrick's Day! A firm crusty exterior with a soft dense center, mildly sweet, with dried currants throughout. This recipe is simple, with just a handful of ingredients, and no yeast required.

Course Breads

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 245kcal

Author Rebecca Taig

Ingredients

3½ cups gluten-free flour, (472g), Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold, cubed)
1 large egg
1¾ cups buttermilk
½ cup currants, fold in

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Continue to work the dough into pea-sized crumbles. Fold in the currants.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture.
Use a spatula to work the dough until it starts to come together and forms a shaggy ball.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Form the dough into a 7-inch round loaf
Transfer the dough to a greased cast-iron skillet. Using a very sharp knife, score a ½-inch deep X into the top. Use any remaining buttermilk mixture in the bowl to pour over the top of the loaf.
Bake until the bread is golden brown and the center appears cooked through about 45-50 minutes.
For an accurate test, bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 190°F (88°C).
Place the loaf on a wire rack to completely cool before serving.

Notes

Do not overwork the dough: Overworking the dough will cause very tough bread. It's supposed to look a bit "shaggy."

Bake in a cast-iron skillet or 9-inch cake pan. The cast-iron skillet will produce a better exterior, but if you do not have a skillet, a baking sheet or 9-inch cake pan will work just fine.

Cold Butter: Make sure the butter is very cold, this will impact the texture of the dough.

Cool The Loaf: Make sure the loaf is completely cool before serving. I like to serve my bread 24 hours after baking.

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