Vegan Irish Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway

Easy Vegan Irish Soda bread, ready in one hour! With dried fruit and classic flavors like caraway, this simple vegan bread recipe is fun to make and a great pairing for so many meals.

What is soda bread?

Soda bread is a baked bread leavened with baking soda instead of yeast. It is eaten in many parts of the world today. Traditionally, soda bread is made with just flour, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), salt, and buttermilk. What makes this bread unique is that no yeast is involved in the baking process; also, no heavy kneading is required when preparing. As the name implies, baking soda and buttermilk do all of the leavening for you.

If you've made banana bread, think of this process as a similar "quick bread." One slight difference is that instead of baking in a traditional loaf pan, this soda bread bakes right on a tray, freeform.

How does vegan soda bread rise?

Dairy-free buttermilk in the soda bread dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to create bubbles of carbon dioxide, which rise the bread. This negates the need for yeast and intense kneading to build up a gluten network in the dough. Overworking the dough via kneading can actually yield a tougher end product, so stay away from mixing too heavily.

Soda bread is notable for its classic crumb structure, so keep this in mind when considering the final texture. The crust in particular will be nice and crispy.

How to Make Traditional Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, add almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle.

2. Combine in a large bowl flour, brown sugar, raisins if using, flaxseeds, cornstarch, baking soda, sea salt, and caraway seeds if using. Mix until incorporated (no need to knead).

3. Add melted butter to buttermilk and slowly pour wet into dry ingredients well in large bowl. Fold dry mixture into wet. Mold dough into shape of your choice on parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for around 50-60 minutes, until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean. Let cool fully before slicing.

Vegan Soda Bread FAQ:

Can I omit raisins in soda bread?

Yes, you can easily leave the raisins out of this recipe. I know some people really don't enjoy dried fruit, so I'd imagine any other fold-in (nuts, maybe?) would be tasty. However, the slight tang from the baking soda is a wonderful treat that pairs wonderfully with dried fruit. Soda bread made with raisins is colloquially called "Spotted Dog" or "Spotted Dick" in parts of Ireland.

What is the history of soda bread with raisins and caraway?

Traditional Irish soda bread was historically cooked on a griddle (like a flatbread). At this time, regularly available flours did not have the  protein qualities needed to rise when combined with yeast. Baking soda was a simple alternative, making it a popular option until more high gluten flours become more readily available.

What can I serve with this recipe?

This bread is delicious when toasted and slathered with butter or strawberry jam, pictured here. The plain version (without raisins) is also a nice pairing for soups and salads.

I hope you enjoy this simple loaf and that it helps get you through these last few weeks of winter, if that's your area of the world. Enjoy!

Looking for more bread recipes? Try one of these next:

• Perfectly Fluffy Cornbread
• Simple English Muffins
• Cheesy Herbed Garlic Star Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Easy Irish Soda bread, ready in one hour! With dried fruit and classic flavors like caraway, this simple vegan bread recipe is fun to make and a great pairing for so many meals.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine Irish

Servings 20 slices (1 large loaf)

Calories 174 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 and ½ cups unsweetened almond milk 363 grams
• ▢ 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup vegan butter melted (56.7 grams)
• ▢ 3 ½ cups all purpose flour* 507.5 grams
• ▢ ¾ cup brown sugar 150 grams [add more if you are not using raisins]
• ▢ 1 cup raisins or dried fruit of choice optional
• ▢ 2 TBS milled flaxseeds
• ▢ 1 TBS cornstarch
• ▢ 2 and ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt 6 grams
• ▢ 1 TBS caraway seeds optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and set aside a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. In a small bowl, add almond milk and apple cider vinegar (this will be your "buttermilk"). Set aside to curdle for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, combine in a large bowl flour, brown sugar, raisins if using, flaxseeds, cornstarch, baking soda, sea salt, and caraway seeds if using. Mix until evenly incorporated (no need to knead).
• Using a spoon, create a well in the center (this will be for wet ingredients). Add melted butter to buttermilk and slowly pour wet into dry ingredients well in large bowl. Fold dry mixture into wet, carefully avoiding clumps until you have a smooth dough (using your hands can be helpful here). If your dough is too wet, add a few more tablespoons of flour until it's easier to handle but not overly dry. Mold dough into shape of your choice on parchment-lined baking sheet (there's no real need to flatten). The dough will spread as it bakes.
• Bake for around 50-60 minutes, until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean. Let cool fully before slicing (the bread structure will solidify as it cools).

Video

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Notes

*If you have all purpose bread flour on hand, I recommend substituting this here

Nutrition

Serving: 1/20 of recipeCalories: 174kcalCarbohydrates: 30.4gProtein: 2.7gFat: 4.8gSaturated Fat: 2.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.5gSodium: 329mgFiber: 1.2gSugar: 12g

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