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If you’re after a Gluten Free Soda Bread recipe which is SUPER easy to make, you’ve come to the right place. This gluten free, yeast free Irish Soda Bread is possibly the best gluten free bread I have ever baked. No rising, no proving, no kneading – and no yeast!

A gluten free soda bread sliced up on a wooden board.
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When I posted my basic gluten free bread recipe in 2020 lots of people were struggling to find yeast. Which is why I first shared this gluten free soda bread recipe.

Fast forward four years and this easy gluten free soda bread is still the best yeast free bread recipe ever, with a gorgeous, golden crust.

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.

If you’ve not tried it before, soda bread is an Irish bread, traditionally made from flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Some recipes also include oats.

This gluten free recipe uses bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast as a leavening agent, which reacts with the buttermilk to create tiny bubbles and that bread-like texture.

Of course, my gluten free Irish soda bread recipe varies slightly from a traditional, ‘gluteny’ soda bread as the flour properties mean you generally need more liquid in the mix.

But I really hope you’ll agree that despite its simplicity, this gluten free soda bread is truly out of this world! Perfect for fans of my artisan gluten free bread and gluten free rolls.

A whole gluten free soda bread on a piece of baking paper.

Ingredients

Making this gluten free, wheat free soda bread recipe is honestly so simple I can’t believe it took me so long to try it in the first place.

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:

  • Plain Gluten Free Flour: Any plain gluten free flour blend will work. I usually use the FREEE Plain Gluten Free Flour in this recipe, but most flour blends will work.
  • Caster Sugar: In the US you’ll want Baker’s Sugar.
  • Xanthan Gum: This is essentially for creating a dough you can shape, and stops the finished soda bread from being crumbly.
  • Bicarbonate of Soda: Or baking soda in the US. The magical ingredient that makes the bread rise without yeast.
  • Egg: Gluten free doughs often need more moisture and the egg helps with this.
  • Natural Yoghurt: This helps to add moisture to the dough without the mixture being too runny to handle and shape.
  • Milk: Mixed with Lemon Juice this creates a homemade buttermilk in a few seconds.
  • Salt

Plus you’ll need either some extra gluten free flour or rice flour for dusting.

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 didn’t do this. A few handfuls would be perfect.

Close up of slices of gluten free Irish soda bread.

What do you eat with soda bread?

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. Some ideas for serving gluten free soda bread include:

Close up of a gluten free Irish soda bread.

How to make Gluten Free Soda Bread

There’s a printable recipe card below with the method, but here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free soda bread is to make.

Firstly, preheat the oven to 190’C / Gas 5. Line a baking sheet with a piece of baking paper and set aside. A nice, hot oven is crucial!

Making homemade buttermilk and the mixture for gluten free soda bread.

Mix the yoghurt, milk and lemon juice in a bowl and stir to make buttermilk. 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).

Mixing up the dough for gluten free soda bread and adding a whisked egg.

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 the soda bread dough, as you don’t want to add too much extra flour to the mix and dry it out during baking.

Mix the dough and then scrape onto a floured work surface.

Mould the dough into a circle shape – it should hold its shape relatively well but may still spread a little, this is fine. Place it on the centre of the parchment paper.

Use a knife to score an X into the top of the dough and sprinkle with a little extra gluten free flour, or rice flour if you prefer.

Shaping and scoring a gluten free soda bread before baking.

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.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Ideally leave it for at least 15 minutes before slicing, if you can resist!

Storing and Freezing

This gluten free soda bread is best served when freshly baked and still warm. After it has cooled to room temperature, it will keep for a few days in an airtight container.

I recommend either refreshing slices of the soda bread in the oven before serving so it is warm, or lightly toasting them.

You can also freeze this gluten free soda bread. I recommend freezing it in slices with small squares of baking paper between them to stop them sticking.

Simply defrost a slice as required and refresh in the oven or toaster (as above) before eating.

A sliced gluten free soda bread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some FAQs about this gluten free soda bread. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!

Can this gluten free soda bread be dairy free / vegan?

I’ve not tried making a dairy free or vegan version of this soda bread. Dairy free would be possible by swapping the milk and yoghurt for a dairy free version, and it should be relatively similar to the original recipe. I’ve not tried it with an egg replacer so at this time wouldn’t want to recommend something I’m unsure on.

How do you make homemade buttermilk?

A traditional Irish soda bread uses buttermilk, but when I first developed this recipe it was difficult to access supermarkets so I made my own homemade buttermilk instead.
Usually to make buttermilk, you’d add 1 tbsp of lemon juice per 1 cup of milk, and stir until it curdles. 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. This stops the soda bread from becoming too dry.

Is there gluten in baking soda?

This soda bread recipe uses bicarbonate of soda – often called baking soda in the US. This is gluten free. Not to be confused with baking powder in the UK which sometimes contains gluten. I’ve written a guide to gluten free baking powder with more information and a list of safe (and unsafe) products!

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.

A gluten free soda bread sliced up on a wooden board.
4.55 from 208 votes

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!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients 

  • 400 g 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
  • 200 ml natural yoghurt
  • 100 ml 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.

Video

Notes

  • Storing: 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. See the blog post above for freezing tips.
  • Top Tip: If the top of the soda bread starts to catch when baking, cover it with some foil for the rest of the bake.
  • Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups – I have weighed each item individually to ensure the conversion is accurate as possible. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
  • Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this gluten free soda bread recipe should look at each stage.
  • Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Gluten Free Soda Bread!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g
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About Sarah Howells

Hi, I'm Sarah! Diagnosed with coeliac disease 20 years ago, I'm on a mission to create the best gluten free recipes since sliced bread. No fruit salads or dry brownies here.

4.55 from 208 votes (208 ratings without comment)

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31 Comments

  1. Very impressed
    Tastes wonderful
    Baked for my granddaughter as she celiac
    I am not but love it

  2. Please! I’m not allowed
    Yoghurt, but milk, butter ,& egg are allowed!
    What can I use instead of yoghurt in gf Irish Bread?(It’s the
    fermentation in yoghurt
    which is my problem!!)