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If you’re after a gluten free soda bread which is SUPER easy to make, you’ve come to the right place.
After posting my basic gluten free bread recipe last week, loads of people told me they were struggling to get hold of yeast – and now I’ve got an ABSOLUTE GAME CHANGER.
This gluten free soda bread is possibly the best gluten free bread I have ever baked.
And to top it all, it’s yeast free.
In fact, this gluten free soda bread recipe uses basic storecupboard ingredients (plus a few from the fridge) and bakes in 30 minutes, with no kneading necessary.
What is gluten free soda bread?
I’d heard of soda bread before but up until this week I’d never actually tried it.
I was sceptical of how it would taste but honestly, I am 100% converted.
Basically, soda bread is an Irish bread, traditionally made from flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk.
The idea uses bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast as a leavening agent.
The bicarb reacts with the buttermilk to create tiny bubbles and that bread-like texture.
Of course, my gluten free soda bread recipe varies slightly from a traditional, ‘gluteny’ soda bread as the flour properties mean you generally need more liquid in the mix.
You’ll also need the added xanthan gum to mimic some of the elasticity of the missing gluten.
But I really hope you’ll agree that despite its simplicity, this gluten free soda bread is truly out of this world!
How to make this yeast free, gluten free soda bread
Making this gluten free soda bread recipe is honestly so simple I can’t believe I haven’t done it before.
And the fact that you don’t even need yeast just makes things even quicker. No proving time necessary!
To make this gluten and yeast free soda bread recipe, you’ll need:
- 400g plain gluten free flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 large egg (lightly whisked)
- 200ml natural yoghurt
- 100ml milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Extra gluten free flour for dusting (I used rice flour but you can use plain GF flour)
Simple storecupboard ingredients
So most of these ingredients are basics I hope you’ll already have in stock.
Salt, sugar, bicarb and xanthan gum are always present in my kitchen cupboards!
I know some people are struggling to get hold of gluten free flour, but there are lots of places selling it online.
Check this post out if you’re having any trouble as I have found a few stockists online.
Now traditionally soda bread uses buttermilk, but as I didn’t have any at home I just made my own.
In fact, you make a simple buttermilk by adding 1 tbsp of lemon juice per 1 cup of milk, simple!
However, I wanted to use a mixture of yoghurt and milk to make the mixture a little thicker and add some moisture to my gluten free soda bread.
I also figured more people would have yoghurt, milk and lemon juice in the fridge than buttermilk!
I haven’t tried a dairy or egg free version of this recipe (yet!) so wouldn’t want to comment on how this would turn out with replacements.
But if you do give it a try then please let me know how you get on!
What do you eat soda bread with?
Because of its shape, this gluten and yeast free soda bread isn’t the best bread for sandwiches.
For that you’ll probably want something more like my gluten free loaf recipe.
This bread, however, is perfect for eating warm from the oven slathered in butter.
And that’s pretty much what happened to this whole loaf!
Soda bread is also great to serve up as a side with stews or soups.
Try it with my fiery carrot, chilli and ginger soup or on the side of my gluten free roast chicken soup.
You can also toast it and top it with anything you fancy too. It’s really very versatile!
Some people also add raisins or currants to their soda bread, though I’m not the biggest fan of this kind of dried fruit so I shall be steering clear. Feel free to go nuts though!
My gluten free, yeast free soda bread recipe
If you’re looking for a gluten and yeast free bread recipe, then this gluten free soda bread recipe is definitely something you need to make RIGHT NOW.
It’s honestly so simple that I can’t believe I haven’t tried it before. I’m going to be making this over and over again.
Plus I’ve now made this handy recipe to show you guys how to put this bread together…
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Soda Bread (Yeast Free)
This gluten free and yeast free soda bread recipe is an easy, quick bread to make. No yeast needed and using basic household ingredients, this gluten free soda bread bakes in 30 minutes. Perfect served warm with lashings of butter!
Ingredients
- 400g plain gluten free flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 large egg (lightly whisked)
- 200ml natural yoghurt
- 100ml milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Extra gluten free flour for dusting (I used rice flour but you can use plain GF flour)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190'C / Gas 5. Line a baking sheet with a piece of baking paper and set aside.
- Mix the yoghurt, milk and lemon juice in a bowl and stir. The lemon juice should cause the milk/yoghurt to curdle a little, which is what you're going for here!
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, xanthan gum, sugar and bicarbonate of soda and mix well. Pour in the yoghurt/milk/lemon mixture and then add the egg (which should be whisked just enough to combine the yolk and white).
- Use a wooden spoon to bring the mixture together into a soft, sticky dough. Dust the worktop with a sprinkle of gluten free flour and turn out the dough. Dust some gluten free flour on your hands as well as and then lightly mould the dough together into a ball - if it is a little difficult to handle at first, you should find with the extra flour it starts to become more workable. Don't over-work it as you don't want to add too much extra flour to the mix.
- Mould the dough into a circle shape (it should hold its shape relatively well but may still spread a little, this is fine - you don't want the dough to be super stiff!) and place it on the centre of the lined baking sheet. Use a knife to score an X into the top of the dough and sprinkle with a little extra flour.
- Bake the dough in the centre of the hot oven for around 30 minutes. It should be lovely and golden and sound hollow when you tap the top and bottom of the loaf. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Notes
- This gluten free soda bread is best eaten fresh on the day of baking. It will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container or you can slice it up and freeze it, defrosting as needed.
- If the top of the loaf starts to catch when baking, cover it with some foil for the rest of the bake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 138Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 162mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g
Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?
If you want to have a go at some of the other gluten free bread recipes on the blog, why not give some of these a try?
They’re perfect for baking away all of your troubles.
- Easy gluten free bake-at-home bread recipe
- Simple gluten free flapjacks recipe
- Gluten free fairy cakes recipe (with egg free option)
- Basic gluten free triple chocolate brownies
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
Oh – and don’t forget to sign up for my e-newsletter where you’ll know about all my latest posts and competitions first!
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Been baking this bread in new, good oven, for 45 min now and it’s totally soggy in the centre. It’s way too salty and doesn’t taste nice. Total disappointment. I think I will go back to baking breads following the recipes in the published books, as they have been tested many times before publishing, unlike the recipes from the blogs as per my multiple (bad) experience.
I am trying this recipe out for the first time. I don’t know if I’m doing it wrong but I seem to have this kind of trouble when I make gluten free bread – my bread never seems to fluff and it always looks underdone and comes out stiff and hard. It appears my soda bread is doing the same thing.
Are there tweaks to getting this art of making gluten free by bread right?
I seem to be a chronic gluten free bread failure and appreciate my suggestions that you may have to share.
Thanks!
D
I like the bread. You do have to be careful that it’s not too sticky and wet inside. I would like to know the best way to store the bread though if you have any tips.
Thank you
Great bread! Baking took closer to 50-60 minutes to get the best results. But, how many slices are in this loaf? 16 per the recipe (because that’s not what the pictured slices look like)?
Could you convert this to US measurements? Thank you.
Is the cooking temperature 190 C fan or non-fan?
Non-fan. Fan would be 170