Traditional Vegan Irish Soda Bread

This traditional-style savory vegan wholewheat soda bread is definitely as tasty as real Irish soda bread from back home is easy to make, and needs no rising time. Just savory crusty yeast-free goodness.

Why you’ll love it

• It’s thick and filling and hearty.
• It’s savory with that classic soda flavor.
• It’s vegan and dairy-free.
• It needs no rising time and minimal kneading.
• It’s as close to traditional Irish soda bread as a vegan version can be!

But, where are the raisins?

Did you know, in Ireland nowadays, soda bread is not usually eaten sweetened or with raisins. I had to do a bit of unofficial research to figure out why versions in America so often have raisins.

Turns out that people in their 60s can remember that their mothers or grandmothers used to add raisins or currants as a treat sometimes. It was then called “currn’y” or “currant” bread. It was something that Irish immigrants brought to the US, but it has long been out of fashion back home.

If you love Irish bread, you should try out this delicious tomato bread, based on a version we used to have in Superquinn (an Irish supermarket).

Ingredients and substitutions

The ingredients are pretty simple so there are not too many substitutions that can be made, but I do detail them below.

Wholewheat flour: I’ve used spelt and coarse wholemeal flour instead of wholewheat and it’s turned out great. You can also just use all white or strong bread flour. If you can get it, Odlums coarse wholemeal is great here.

Baking soda: Also known as bicarbonate of soda, don’t substitute with baking powder as the soda actually gives a lot of the taste that makes this soda bread. Make sure to use fresh recently opened baking soda and not a tub that’s been languishing in your cupboards for a year, or it won’t activate.

Lemon juice: You can substitute this with the same amount of mild vinegar, like ACV, white wine vinegar, etc. Its only purpose is to curdle the plant-based milk for vegan buttermilk, it doesn’t change the flavor.

All-purpose flour: You do need to use white all-purpose flour in soda bread or it will be very crumbly and not hold together, as I’ve found out many a time when using only wholemeal or wholegrain flour.

Olive oil: You can use any mild oil here, it’s to replace the fat used in non-vegan versions that gives a softer crumb. It’s not supposed to add much flavor so don’t break out the extra virgin good stuff, keep that for your salads.

Soy milk: You can use any plant-based full-fat unsweetened milk you prefer here, but I do tend to think that when baking vegan recipes, soy gives a softer result.

Salt: Don’t omit this, you can use a low-sodium brand if you’re watching your sodium levels.

Oat bran: Real wholemeal Irish soda bread is made with stoneground flour which has a delicious texture, and oats are often added. Using oat bran gives you all that flavor and texture while keeping the dough light and helping it rise better in the oven. Plus, oat bran is incredibly healthy and filling.

How to make it

This recipe is so easy even a baking beginner can make it. Nevertheless, I’ve included detailed process photos below showing every step in case you are unsure about anything.

First, preheat the oven to 410ºF (210ºC). If you have a fan-assisted oven and are using the fan-assisted setting, preheat to 375ºF (190ºC).

Mix the milk you’re using with the lemon juice (or vinegar) and leave it on the counter or in a warm place (image one below). The milk will curdle faster and easier if you start with it at room temperature.

Add the dry ingredients (the flours, the oat bran, the salt, and the baking soda) to a large bowl and mix until well-combined. Make a well in the center, and add in the oil (image two below).

Mix the olive oil in as well as you can with a wooden spoon. Next, get your hands in and rub the larger lumps into the rest of the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs (image three above).

Get the spoon again and make a well in the center (image four).

Add the curdled soy milk to the well (image five), and mix it in with the wooden spoon. Make sure to really scrape the bottom of the bowl to get any remnants of flour, but mix until the dough just barely comes together.

Overmixing your soda bread dough will result in tougher bread. The dough will be sticky and look like image six below.

Line a metal baking tray with baking paper or a silicone nonstick mat. Tip out the dough onto the lined tray and sprinkle with a little extra wholewheat flour as in image seven (this will make it more manageable to handle).

Use your hands to shape the dough into a rough ball, using more flour if needed. It should look something like image eight above.

Now, flatten the ball slightly using your hands (image nine below). You’ll want it to be between two to three inches in height. Any more and it may not rise properly.

Dampen a sharp knife and cut a deep cross in the round of dough (image ten below). Wholewheat quick bread needs more help to rise during baking and cutting a deep cross helps. You should nearly be cutting through to the tray.

Transfer the tray to the lower third of your preheated oven and bake for thirty-five minutes without opening the oven.

When the time is up, remove the soda bread and rap the bottom of it with your knuckles. If it sounds hollow, it’s done. If not, you may need to return it to the oven for another five minutes or so. It should look more or less like image eleven above.

Lightly dampen a clean dishcloth or tea towel and cover the bread with it (image twelve above) – this keeps the crust softer and easier to cut. Let the soda bread cool completely before cutting it as it will be too soft and crumbly while warm.

Once cooled, use a bread knife to separate the quarters, and then cut the quarters into thick slices if eating right away. This soda bread can be stored on the counter covered for a day, or in the fridge tightly covered (with saran wrap or aluminum foil) for up to five days.

I prefer to store it in the fridge unsliced and just slice each quarter as I need it, to stop the bread from drying out in the fridge.

Serving tips and suggestions

• Soda bread should be sliced as thinly as possible, but slices will need to be at least a centimeter thick or they will be too crumbly.
• Soda bread is easier to slice when it has fully cooled, and easiest of all the next day.
• It’s perfect for slathering plant-based spread on and dipping in soup, such as my roasted red pepper bisque or this easy gluten-free vegan tomato soup.
• It is also great for open-top sandwiches or slathered with hummus.
• If after a few days you still have some soda bread left, which I doubt, and it is a little hard, it will toast perfectly. Just toast it under the grill, not in the toaster, or you will be fishing out broken soda bread pieces for days.

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Do let me know if you enjoyed my vegan Irish soda bread recipe and what you did with it, or whether you made any changes to the recipe.

Take a picture and tag me on Instagram @the_fiery_vegetarian, or leave a starred review in the recipe box and a comment to let me know how you got on.