A vegan soda bread that doesn’t compromise on taste one single bit – and just in time for St. Patrick’s Day… yahoo! I hope you love this as much as our crew did!
Truth be told, I made 2 batches (well, actually 6 but only 2 today… such is life when you are recipe testing!) of savoury soda bread today to try to perfect the recipe before I posted it, and figured I would try my hand at a vegan Irish soda bread. And BAM, just like that I nailed it the first time. Seriously guys, I think this is a really good option for anyone who is vegan – Charles actually preferred the vegan Irish soda bread over the regular one that I spent days slaving away at to perfect. Of course lol!
In any case, a couple of things. Don’t overwork the dough – ever, really, when it comes to soda bread or quick breads in general. It will make for a tough dough and nobody wants a tough dough, this much I promise you.
You can use any plant-based milk for the milk option: I tried it with Ripple but have used Almond Breeze in the past with great success in other similar recipes. Now, I THINK you could add some nutritional yeast to make it a bit cheesier if you wanted, but of course my usual disclaimer is that I haven’t tried so….
Serve this with a bowl of lentil soup or creamy vegan broccoli soup or really, anything hot and savoury and you’ll look like a complete rock star with very little effort. A veggie stew? We have a killer one coming to you soon in the cookbook… can’t wait to share that with you by the way (this fall, exact date TBA)!
This makes two loaves, but of course you can cut the recipe in half if you have a smaller crowd. It toasts up beautifully the next day… just saying. Oh yes, and of course you can leave the chives out all together if you want a plain soda bread.
Tori
xo
Vegan Irish Soda Bread
A perfectly crunchy exterior and a moist, flavourful inside, this bread is a breeze to make and is delicious paired with your favourite soup for a cozy, hearty rustic meal.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other plant based milk)
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup wheat germ
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup cold vegan butter, cut into 1/2" chunks
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, combine the almond milk and vinegar together and let sit for 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the vegan butter and, using your fingers, break it into pea-sized pieces. Add the chives and stir to combine.
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Add the almond milk to the flour mixture and toss with a fork to combine: the dough should be combined but still rough in texture.
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Empty the dough onto a floured surface, divide into 2 balls, and smooth each piece of dough into a round ball using your hands. Place on the baking sheet, well spaced apart, and bake until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Serve warm.
Hi Tori! Thank you for sharing, I can’t wait to try this recipe. My grandmother is Irish and I have fond memories of her making this when I was younger. I look forward to re-creating this, especially a vegan option!
Thank you Amy!!! That’s so sweet.
Could I substitute room temperature coconut oil (solid) for the vegan butter?
So sorry I’m just getting this now Judith, yes you could I’m sure.
I made this last week. I halved the recipe because I thought I didn’t need two loaves, what a mistake! This is the best vegan Irish soda bread recipe, the texture is amazing! Thanks for sharing, Tori!
Haha I love that thank you!!!!
Sorry if this is a duplicate comment, but it’s worth saying twice 🙂 I made this last week. I made half the recipe because I thought I didn’t need two loaves. What a mistake. This is the best Irish soda bread recipe, so fluffy and moist. Great work, thanks for sharing, Tori!
I’m hoping to make this tonight but I don’t have any wheat germ, do I need to use it or can I just omit it?
you can substitute flour for it!
Hi Tori,
What does the wheat germ do for the recipe? Will it change the taste much if I use all spelt flour? Also, I don’t have any chives–are they necessary?
Thanks!
Hi Tori! Happy Mother’s Day!
I ended up making this today. The only subs I made were oat milk instead of almond and spelt flour (assuming you’re using all-purpose), but the dough was VERY wet. I’ve made bread before, so there was no way I would’ve been able to roll them into balls. I ended up adding 1 cup extra of flour to make it work, plus way more for dusting the counter.
Happy to say the result was delicious! But I’m wondering why that happened?
Thanks!