Paleo Irish Soda Bread {Grain Free, Dairy Free}

This grain free, dairy free and paleo version of classic Irish Soda Bread is perfectly crusty on the outside, soft and tender inside and easy to make.  A simple homemade dairy free buttermilk gives the bread great rise and flavor and it’s just barely sweetened with pure maple sugar.

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It took me a few tries to get this recipe for Paleo Irish Soda Bread right, and I was super happy with the final product!

I wanted a loaf that has a similar texture to the original version with wheat flour – dense but soft.

There are two main problems that arises with many paleo breads and they both involve texture.  First, they tend to be either too dry and crumbly or too moist.

The second is that whether too dry or moist, they don’t have the “chew” or “stretch” that traditional bread.  This is partially due to the lack of gluten, but also to the lack of starchy flours like rice flour that gluten free blends typically use to mimic wheat flour.

I typically get good results for breads when I blend three types of grain free flour – blanched almond flour, tapioca (or arrowroot) and golden flaxseed meal.  (I like using the golden variety mainly for the lighter color.).

This bread was no exception!  It’s more dense than my sandwich bread but just as soft, with the right amount of moistness in the crumb.  Delicious on it’s own, but with a little salted ghee it’s absolutely amazing!

What You Need to Make Paleo Irish Soda Bread

This grain free Irish soda bread relies heavily on homemade dairy free buttermilk, made with a combination of coconut milk and vinegar or lemon juice.

It helps the bread rise (working with the baking soda) and gives it flavor as well.  Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare the bread:

• full fat coconut milk, blended, if necessary 
• apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
•  eggs
• ghee, or vegan butter, melted  
• blanched almond flour
• tapioca flour or arrowroot
• golden flaxseed meal
• maple sugar or coconut sugar
• baking soda
• fine sea salt
• raisins

How to Make Paleo Irish Soda Bread

Preheat your oven to 400°F.   You can use a baking sheet, 10” cast iron skillet or 9-10” cake pan for this recipe.  Line your pan of choice with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the coconut milk with the vinegar or lemon juice to make “buttermilk”.  Allow it to sit for 5 minutes.  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and ghee or vegan butter together with the buttermilk you just made, and set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine all the almond flour, tapioca and flaxseed meal.  Then stir in the sugar, baking soda and salt plus the raisins.  Pour in the buttermilk mixture and mix well, until no flour spots show.  The dough will be thick and sticky.  

Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined pan or skillet and gently use your hands or plastic spatula to round it out, with as much height as possible.  Using a very sharp knife, score an X into the top. This helps the bread bake properly.

Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the bread is golden brown and center is cooked through, about 35-40 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to Store this Paleo Irish Soda Bread

Once the bread has fully cooled, slice and serve as desired.  Since some paleo breads can be too crumbly to cut into while warm, I recommend cooling the bread fully (or almost fully) before slicing.

It’s delicious with a little slather of salted ghee or grass-fed butter and it’s a great bread to have with dinner as well.

Cover and store the leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Tips for Paleo Irish Soda Bread

• Use parchment paper to line your pan or skillet to avoid sticking.  Paleo baked goods can be stickier than traditional, and to avoid wasting a bunch of expensive ingredients, parchment is always the way to go!
• The dough will be a lot stickier than a traditional bread dough, more like a very thick batter.  This is normal.  Whenever my paleo dough is *easy* to work with, it’s basically a given that it will be a flop!  This means you won’t be kneading the bread, but rather gently use your hands or a rubber spatula to “shape” the bread a bit before baking.
• It’s best not to try to substitute other flours for the combination in the recipe.  The recipe has only been tested with these flours to be grain free and paleo, and something like coconut flour or cassava simply would not work as a sub here.

I hope you’re ready for a paleo twist on traditional Irish Soda Bread.  Grab your ingredients and preheat your oven because it’s time to bake – let’s go!

Paleo Irish Soda Bread {Grain Free, Dairy Free}

Paleo Irish Soda Bread {Grain Free, Dairy Free}

This grain free, dairy free and paleo version of classic Irish Soda Bread is perfectly crusty on the outside, soft and tender inside and easy to make.  A simple homemade dairy free buttermilk gives the bread great rise and flavor and it's just barely sweetened with pure maple sugar.

Author: Michele Rosen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Cooling Time: 1 hr

Course: baking, bread, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Gluten-free, grain free, Paleo

Keyword: baking, bread, gluten free, grain free, paleo

Servings: 14 servings

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4.37 from 22 votes

Ingredients

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk blended, if necessary
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons ghee or vegan butter, melted
• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
• 1 cup golden flaxseed meal
• 3 tablespoons maple sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. You can use a baking sheet, 10” cast iron skillet or 9-10” cake pan for this recipe. Line your pan of choice with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk together the coconut milk with the vinegar or lemon juice to make “buttermilk” and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and ghee or vegan butter together with the buttermilk you just made and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine all the almond flour, tapioca and flaxseed meal, then stir in the sugar, baking soda and salt plus the raisins. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and mix well, until no flour spots show. The dough will be thick and sticky.
4. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined pan or skillet and gently use your hands to round it out, with as much height as possible. Using a very sharp knife, score an X into the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the bread is golden brown and center is cooked through, about 35-40 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, slice and serve as desired. Since some paleo breads can be too crumbly to cut while warm, I recommend cooling the bread fully before slicing.
7. Cover and store the leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal

Carbohydrates: 24g

Protein: 7g

Fat: 19g

Saturated Fat: 6g

Trans Fat: 1g

Cholesterol: 29mg

Sodium: 261mg

Potassium: 212mg

Fiber: 5g

Sugar: 3g

Vitamin A: 34IU

Vitamin C: 1mg

Calcium: 74mg

Iron: 2mg

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Want More Paleo Baking Recipes for Spring?  Try One of These!

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