Description
The quickest loaf of bread in the world! This vegan Irish soda bread uses homemade “buttermilk” and some whole wheat flour for a rustic loaf!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 cup soy milk (or unsweetened plant milk of choice)
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
*All the ingredients for this recipe are from our pantry and freezer tips!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a bit of oil. You can also bake this loaf in a cast iron pan if you would like.
- Start by making the “buttermilk” in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Stir lemon juice into the soy milk and allow the mixture to sit and thicken for at least 5 minutes. *I tend to use just a touch under 1 ½ cups of milk. If you use the full 1 ½ cups and your dough is quite wet, you may just need to add more flour when you shape the loaf. If you use less milk and the dough is too dry to come together just add some more milk.
- In a large bowl, mix the flours, salt, and baking soda.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the thickened “buttermilk” into the well. Use your hand to mix the buttermilk into the dry ingredients. (The traditional way is to form your hand into a claw, lower it into the mixture, and move your hand in a circular motion to mix the buttermilk with the dry ingredients).
- Tip the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface. If the dough is quite wet, pat flour onto the sides of the dough and then flip the ball of dough over so all sides are floured.
- Transfer the ball of dough to your prepared baking sheet and flatten the ball of dough with your hand into an 8 inch disc. *If you bake the bread as a round loaf you will need to increase the baking time. Flattening the dough into a disc ensures that it will cook through in the shorter baking time.
- With a sharp knife, slice a deep cross into the loaf. This deep cross also helps the loaf cook through (see the pictures in the blog post for reference). To comply with Irish legend, you can also poke each quadrant with your knife to “let the fairies out”! Decorate the top with sprinkled oats or seeds if desired (some brushed butter helps them adhere, you can also lightly press them into the dough to help them stick better).
- Bake the soda bread for 30-35 minutes until the loaf is golden, the bread doesn’t look wet in the slits, and it sounds hollow if you tap the bottom of the loaf (careful, the loaf will be hot!).
- Cool your soda bread on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then enjoy! This bread is best enjoyed warm and on the same day it is made. However, I do find that storing the bread in the fridge and toasting the leftovers makes a nice rustic toast for the next couple of days. Try it with my Easy Vegan Irish Stew!
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $1.63. The homemade vegan buttermilk costs us roughly $0.76 vs. roughly $1.50 for traditional store-bought buttermilk.
Feel free to add a few tablespoons of sugar to your loaf along with some raisins or other dried fruit for a sweet soda bread.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Thrifty How-Tos
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Irish