Vegan Soda Bread

This traditional Irish soda bread is made vegan by using homemade vegan buttermilk. Like your typical soda bread, it requires no kneading and no rising, and has the distinct flavour and texture. You can have a loaf of crunchy homemade bread ready in under an hour.

I love traditional Irish soda bread, so when I first started making my own vegan buttermilk, my mind immediately wandered to making a vegan soda bread.

What Is Traditional Soda Bread?

Typically, soda bread was made using only 4 ingredients: flour, buttermilk, baking soda and salt. The acidic buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, which causes the bread to rise without yeast.

Today, most recipes for soda bread will also include butter and eggs, and often even sugar, cranberries, or other add-ins that make the very simple bread a bit more interesting to our modern-day palates. 

Soda bread is not only tasty, but incredibly easy to make as well. I dare say that this is one of the few breads anyone can attempt to make without having to worry about messing it up. Here’s why:

• No rising required, which means that you don’t have to worry about the dough not rising or baking flat,
• No kneading, which makes the preparation much more time efficient and less messy.
• Because there’s no yeast in the recipe, soda bread will last longer than bread made with yeast.

Is This Soda Bread Recipe Vegan?

Yes! This recipe is made with plant-based milk and coconut oil, which replace dairy milk and butter, so it’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Is This Soda Bread Recipe Gluten Free?

No, the main ingredient of this recipe is wheat flour, which contains gluten. I haven’t tried making a gluten-free version of this recipe myself, but there’s a good chance it might work, as the recipe doesn’t require any kneading. If you’re willing to give it a go, I’d recommend using a tried and tested gluten-free baking flour with xanthan gum.

Is This Soda Bread Recipe Keto?

No, the main ingredient is flour, which is not suitable for a keto diet.

Is Soda Bread Healthy?

In terms of nutritional value, soda bread is not much different from a standard yeasted bread. Generally, bread and baking products are high in carbohydrates, but still part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Vegan Soda Bread

All-purpose white flour and white bread flour - I’ve tried making the recipe with different flours and found the combination of all-purpose and bread flour gives the best results.

Salt - helps to bring out the flavours. I don’t recommend reducing or omitting the amount of salt.

Baking soda - is a vital ingredient in vegan soda bread. Bicarbonate of soda is also known as baking soda or bicarb. You can buy in pretty much every supermarket. You will usually find it in the baking aisle, next to the baking powder and cream of tartar.

Coconut oil - adding some coconut oil to the recipe gives the bread a bit more moisture and flavour.

Plant-based milk - you can use any sort of plant milk in this vegan soda bread recipe but I find unsweetened soya milk works best because it is quite a thick milk and curdles well once you add the lemon juice, and it adds very little flavour to the finished bake.

Lemon juice - if you haven't got lemon juice, you can still make vegan soda bread. Use white wine vinegar. Read my tutorial on how to make homemade vegan buttermilk substitute.

How to Make Vegan Buttermilk

You can make vegan buttermilk at home with only 2 ingredients. Mix:

• 1 cup plant-based milk (almond and soy milk work best)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar

You can read more about making your own vegan buttermilk in this post.

How to Make Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Step One

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, then slowly stir in the wet ingredients.

Step Two

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently fold it a few times.

Step Three

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 440°F for 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Do I Need Any Special Equipment to Make Vegan Soda Bread?

You don't need any special equipment to make vegan soda bread! All you need is either a kitchen scale or measuring cups, a mixing bowl and a baking sheet.

Vegan Soda Bread FAQs

Can I substitute buttermilk with regular milk?

Not in this recipe. The acid from the buttermilk is needed to react with the baking soda, which acts as a leavening agent. 

What is the meaning behind the cross on top?

The meaning of the traditional cross cut on the top of the soda bread before baking it is both symbolic and practical. Slashing the dough lets heat penetrate into the middle of the bread, which allows the bread to stretch and expand as it rises. Plus, cutting the bread into four parts makes it easy to break apart. The breaking of the bread has both a practical and a symbolic function.

On the more superstitious side, the cross on the top of the bread was said to ward off the devil and protect the household.

How do I know the bread is done?

The crust should be dark golden brown. If you’re not sure, remove the loaf from the oven and pierce it with a skewer from the side. The skewer should come out perfectly clean.

How long does it last?

Soda bread will stay fresh a bit longer than a typical bread with yeast. You can leave it at room temperature for at least 3 days.

You shouldn’t put your soda bread, or any other bread for that matter, in the fridge. The starch in the bread will crystallise in a cold environment, making the bread go stale faster.

Does it freeze?

Yes, this bread freezes really well. You can slice it up and store individual slices in an airtight container, separated with parchment paper. This way you can take out one slice at a time whenever hunger strikes.

Troubleshooting

Why did the bread turn out hard?

When you first take soda bread out of the oven, the crust might look super hard and thick. If this happens, cover the hot bread with a tea towel and as it cools, the moisture will soften it up.

If the bread is hard, it’s possible you added too much milk or not enough flour. I strongly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking.

Another possible reason could be that you didn’t bake the bread long enough, or that your oven runs cold. I would suggest investing in an oven thermometer.

Why didn’t the bread rise?

The most plausible explanation is that you didn’t measure your baking soda or lemon juice correctly. It’s also possible that your baking soda has lost its potency. This can happen if the container has been opened for a while. You can test the soda by mixing warm water with some lemon juice or vinegar, then add the baking soda. If it doesn’t fizz, your baking soda is not working.

Why did the soda bread split?

Soda bread will burst or split if there isn’t anywhere for the gases to escape as they are formed during baking. This is why you need to cut the X into the top of the bread. This allows the gases to escape and the bread to hold its shape.

More Recipes Like Vegan Soda Bread

If you want to try more recipes with homemade vegan buttermilk, I recommend these vegan buttermilk pancakes.