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Healthy Irish Soda Bread

in Baking· Bread· Clean Eating· Featured on Homepage· Gluten Free· Low Fat· Low Sugar· Sides· Sugar-Free· Vegan· Vegetarian

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Learn how to make the best healthy soda bread from scratch with this easy recipe! You only need 10 minutes and 5 common, everyday ingredients. This (mostly!) traditional Irish soda bread is incredibly soft, moist, and tender inside, even with no yeast or kneading. It’s quick and simple to make any day of the week – and it’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day too, of course!

 

best easy & healthy Irish soda bread – classic round soda bread loaf, scored on top & cut into slices

 
I’ve updated this blog post and recipe since I originally shared it. I think this new and improved version is even better! Still, you can find the previous version here, if you’re interested.

After he partially retired a few years ago, my dad started cooking and baking a lot more. He always enjoyed both, but other than for Thanksgiving and Christmas, his busy work schedule and long hours often prevented him from making anything too elaborate or time-intensive.

About once a week, he texted me photos of his culinary creations, and I always looked forward to seeing them – especially his bread. He baked plenty of loaves from scratch, carefully proofing the yeast and kneading the dough, just like he taught me to do with homemade rolls as a little girl.
 

best & easy healthy Irish soda bread – vegan soda bread loaf cut into slices, revealing the dense & moist texture inside

 
Classic rye, garlic naan, rosemary focaccia, rustic cottage loaves… Even multiple types of dough for pizzas made completely from scratch (including the sauce!). Each looked just as beautiful as the last, with soft insides and a lovely crumb, exactly the way they’d be in a bakery or on “The Great British Bake-Off” bread week episodes.

The times I drove home to visit, I usually found remnants of those loaves in the fridge, and new ones often appeared once or twice during my trips too. I snuck multiple slices almost every day… Freshly baked homemade bread is just too tempting!

However, I know not everyone has the time (or courage!) to make classic yeast-based breads completely from scratch…
 

best easy & healthy Irish soda bread – slices of the light whole wheat loaf laying on crinkled white parchment paper

 
Which is why I absolutely love this simple Irish soda bread recipe. It tastes so cozy and comforting, with the flavors and textures you’d want from homemade bread, but it barely takes any time to make. There’s no yeast, proofing, or kneading – and it takes less than 10 minutes to prep!
 

best easy & healthy Irish soda bread – classic round gluten free soda bread loaf, golden brown & scored on top, sitting on a marble serving tray

 

QUICK OVERVIEW – HEALTHY IRISH SODA BREAD

Difficulty: Really easy, including for many beginner bakers.

Taste: Homey and rustic, with a bright pop of salty flavor.

Texture: Soft, moist, and on the dense side with a crisp, crusty exterior.

Note: Because it tastes best when eaten the same day it’s made, I purposely designed this soda bread recipe to yield a small- to modest-sized loaf.
 

best easy & healthy Irish soda bread – classic sugar free soda bread loaf, cut into slices to reveal the dense & moist bread texture inside

 

WHAT IS IRISH SODA BREAD?

How is soda bread different than normal bread? And what’s so special about it? Well…

The key difference is the leavening agent.

Most “normal” bread recipes depend on yeast to make them rise. Because it takes a while for yeast to work its magic, these recipes normally tell you to proof the yeast to activate it. Then they often instruct you to make and knead the dough, let it rest and rise, punch it down, shape it, let it rest and rise again… And – finally! – bake.

Soda bread is much simpler than that. It uses baking soda (aka sodium bicarbonate, if you’re a nerd like me!) as its leavening agent. Baking soda is a base, and it’s immediately activated when mixed with a liquid-form acid. No proofing, resting, or waiting required – so it’s much quicker to make!

Hint: That’s how soda bread got its name… From its leavener, baking soda!
 

best easy & healthy soda bread – traditional egg free soda bread, cut into slices, revealing the crunchy crust & moist texture inside

 

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY IRISH SODA BREAD

Now that you know what it is, let’s cover the ingredients you need to make this healthy soda bread recipe! The original and most traditional Irish soda bread recipes only required a few main ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Over the years, people added other things to enrich the dough, such as eggs, sugar, and butter or oil for flavor, as well as mix-ins like caraway seeds, raisins, or currents. However…

I like tradition – and I also like how the traditional versions are faster and easier to make! So for this healthy soda bread recipe, you’ll use mostly traditional ingredients. I bet you have all of them in your kitchen already!

Flour. My favorite flour to use is white whole wheat flour. Here in the US, our regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat, whereas white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!). It’s not a blend of all-purpose white flour and regular whole wheat flour!

White whole wheat flour has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour (like extra fiber and micronutrients!), but it has a lighter color, as well as a lighter taste and texture that’s closer to all-purpose flour. It’s a great flour for healthy baking because you get the best of both worlds!

However, I wanted to make this recipe as easy as possible for you to make, so I made sure it was really customizable. It works just as well with regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, and yes, even all-purpose flour! So just use whichever one of those options you already have in your pantry.

Tip: I also included my recommended gluten free alternatives in the Notes section of the recipe, if you’d like to make this healthy soda bread gluten free!
 

best easy & healthy soda bread – low fat whole wheat soda bread without buttermilk, cut in half to reveal the crunchy crust and soft & moist texture inside

 
Baking soda. This is what makes your soda bread rise. (But… I’m guessing you knew that already. 😉 )

Salt. I like my soda bread on the salty side, so I often use two types of salt: regular table salt in the dough (always) and flaky sea salt sprinkled on top, just before baking (optional – but really fun!). I love how the latter adds a bright pop of flavor!

Because there’s no sugar in this soda bread, I also like to use a bit more salt in the dough compared to some other recipes. I’ve found that gives the loaf substantially more flavor. If you’re not as big of a salt fan as I am, it’s completely fine to cut back. Like I mentioned, this recipe is really customizable to your preferences and tastes!
 

best easy & healthy soda bread – round vegan soda bread loaf, golden brown, scored on top & cut into slices, revealing the soft & moist texture

 
Milk. I generally use unsweetened vanilla almond milk because that’s what my family and I keep in our refrigerators most often. However… Just about any milk – dairy or non-dairy! – will work. (Are you sensing a theme here?)

I’ve also used nonfat milk, unsweetened cashew milk, rice milk, vanilla soy milk (that’s what I used in my previous version, and its sweetness gave the soda bread a lovely flavor!)… So feel free to use what’s in your fridge. Customization is the name of the game!

Tip: If you use unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk!), then your healthy soda bread will be vegan – because it’ll be both dairy free and egg free!

Vinegar. More specifically, distilled white vinegar. This is the acid that activates the baking soda. When you mix the two together, it creates air bubbles (aka carbon dioxide). Those air bubbles make your soda bread rise, and they also create a moist, soft, tender texture.

Tip: If you don’t have distilled white vinegar (or it’s not an ingredient commonly sold in grocery stores in your part of the world!), try to substitute another vinegar with a similar pH level of about 2.5. Lemon juice’s pH is around 2-3, so it should also work!

No buttermilk? While fresh buttermilk is an ingredient in the most traditional soda bread recipes, it’s not something I normally keep on hand. Therefore, I opted for the DIY shortcut of milk and vinegar instead. That way, it’s easy to whip up this healthy soda bread at a moment’s notice! 😉
 

best easy & healthy soda bread – classic light whole wheat soda bread loaf, cut into slices, showing the crunchy crust & moist texture inside

 

HOW TO MAKE IRISH SODA BREAD

Let’s quickly talk about how to make the best healthy soda bread! It’s the easiest homemade bread you’ll ever make. You just need…

One bowl + a fork. You’ll mix together the dry ingredients first. Make a well in the center, pour in the wet ingredients, and stir everything together. It’s that simple!

But why a fork? And not a wooden spoon?

The space between the tines of the fork allows the ingredients to pass through and mix more efficiently. This means it takes less time to make the dough and there’s less of a chance of over-mixing, so your soda bread will have a better moist and tender texture.
 

best easy & healthy soda bread – a stack of 3 crusty, golden brown round loaves, each scored differently & therefore a different height

 
Shape + score. The dough will be a bit sticky, so moisten your hands with a bit of water first. Shape it into a circle that’s 1 ½” tall, then make two cuts in the shape of a (+) sign in the top with a sharp knife. I’ve found a fillet knife works really well! This is called scoring the dough, and it lets steam (aka that carbon dioxide we talked about earlier!) escape while your loaf bakes.

How deeply you score the loaf will affect how it looks – both its top and sides!

In the photo above, I cut the set of slits in each loaf differently. In the bottom loaf, I inserted the knife only ¼” to ½” deep. In the middle loaf, I went a little further, around ¾” deep. In the top loaf, I cut most of the way through the dough, stopping around ½” above the bottom.

In the bottom loaf, the top was almost entirely flat, but there was a deep crack almost all the way around its base. In the middle loaf, there were four small bumps in its top, and it had a small crack only around certain parts of its base (not all the way around!). In the top loaf, its top consisted of four huge peaks, and it didn’t have any cracks around its base. (The bumps and splits that you see are a result of me being lazy and not smoothing out the dough while shaping it!)

Therefore… When the top slits are very shallow, the steam finds another way out of the dough – and that usually means it bursts out the sides, which creates that noticeable crack near the base.

Tip: After scoring the dough, sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt, if you’d like. It’s optional, but I love how much flavor it adds!

Bake. This soda bread bakes at a fairly high temperature, 425°F, which helps create a really nice crusty exterior. You’ll know it’s done when you can smell it – and when the top looks a nice golden brown!
 

best easy & healthy soda bread – low calorie gluten free soda bread loaf with a crunchy golden brown crust, cut into slices to reveal the moist texture inside

 

FAQS ABOUT HEALTHY IRISH SODA BREAD

Is this Irish soda bread gluten free, vegan, or clean eating?
Yes – to all of the above! As written, this healthy soda bread is vegan, dairy free, egg free, sugar free, whole wheat, and clean eating friendly. I’ve also included my recommendations about how to make it gluten free in the Notes section of the recipe.

Can I use a different milk?
Absolutely! Just about any milk (dairy or non-dairy!) will work. If you’d like to substitute fresh buttermilk, see the Notes section about how to modify the recipe to use it.

What can I substitute for the vinegar?
If you don’t have distilled white vinegar, then use another vinegar with a similar pH level (about 2.5) to ensure your soda bread has the same texture. Lemon juice should also work.
 

best easy & healthy Irish soda bread – a golden brown & crusty clean eating, dairy free soda bread loaf – cut into slices that reveal the soft texture inside

 
Can I make individual soda bread rolls or scones instead?
Definitely! I’ve shared how to do that over on my Irish soda bread scones recipe.

Can I add raisins to this healthy soda bread?
Yes, that should be fine! I did that in this Irish soda bread scones recipe, and it turned out really well. I highly recommend hydrating the raisins first; it makes them extra plump and juicy!

How should I store Irish soda bread? And how long does it keep?
While this healthy soda bread is best eaten the same day it’s made, you can store leftovers in an airtight container. When stored at room temperature, those leftovers will keep for at least a day or two, possibly longer. (The crust loses its crisp crunch though.) You can also store them in the fridge to make them last longer, but your leftover bread won’t be quite as soft and moist.
 

best easy & healthy soda bread – vegan, dairy free & sugar free – slices of the crusty golden brown loaf on white parchment paper, with one moist slice broken in half

 
Ready to make your own? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy Irish soda bread!

This healthy soda bread is the easiest bread recipe you’ll EVER make. You just need 10 minutes! It’s really moist, soft & tender – even with NO yeast or kneading. It doesn’t get any simpler than this! This easy Irish soda bread recipe is great for any day of the week (even busy weeknights!) – and St. Patrick’s Day too, of course! (clean eating, vegan, low fat & whole wheat with great gluten free options too!)

Healthy Irish Soda Bread

© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 1 loaf, 12 slices
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
You only need a few minutes minutes to make this (mostly!) traditional soda bread! It’s incredibly soft, moist, and tender, even with no yeast or kneading. It’s quick and simple to make any day of the week – and it’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day too, of course! This soda bread tastes best the same day it’s made, but leftovers will keep for at least two days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature (although the crust will lose its crisp crunch).
5 from 4 votes
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Ingredients 

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk and vinegar. Stir together until the flour is just incorporated.
  • Transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Moisten your fingers and palms with a bit of water, and shape it into a 1 ½” thick circle. (Remoisten your hands while shaping, if necessary.) Using a sharp knife, score the top with a (+) sign (see Notes!). Sprinkle the flaky sea salt on top, if using, and gently press it into the dough.
  • Bake at 425°F for 27-30 minutes or until the outsides are crusty and golden and the very center feels quite firm to the touch. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

IMPORTANT – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Remember to measure the flour correctly, using using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will cause the dough to be dry, and you may not be able to mix in all of the flour. If that happens to you, add a little extra milk (1 teaspoon at a time) until you can incorporate all of the flour.
 
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
 
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Almost any milk except buttermilk (see below!) will work in place of the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
 
VINEGAR ALTERNATIVES: If you don’t have or can’t find distilled white vinegar, try to find another vinegar with a similar pH level of around 2.5 to maintain the same texture. Lemon juice has a pH level around 2-3, so it should also work.
 
FRESH BUTTERMILK ALTERNATIVE: Traditional Irish soda bread calls for fresh buttermilk, but since I rarely keep that in my refrigerator, I opted to make “homemade buttermilk” out of milk and vinegar. If you prefer, you can substitute ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons of fresh buttermilk for the milk AND vinegar. Because fresh buttermilk is thicker than the other two, you may need to add slightly more if you can’t incorporate all of the flour.
 
REGULAR SALT NOTE: I prefer my soda bread on the saltier side, so I use the full ½ teaspoon and the flaky sea salt on top. If you’re not a big salt fan, then reduce the salt in the dough to ¼ teaspoon (or a bit more than that!), and omit the flaky sea salt.
 
FLAKY SEA SALT NOTE: I absolutely love the bright pop of flavor from the flaky sea salt! This is the kind I use. I crumble it a bit in between my fingers so it’s not quite as coarse before I sprinkle it on top of the loaf.
 
SCORING THE DOUGH NOTES: I’ve found the thin blade of a fillet knife works really well for scoring dough.
 
The deeper you make the cuts when scoring the dough, the taller the four “peaks” on the top of the dough. If you only make shallow cuts, the loaf will most likely crack around its base. Neither really affects the flavor; it’s mainly the appearance. See the “Shape + Score” header in my blog post above for more information!
 
GLUTEN FREE VERSION: For the gluten free flour, I recommend the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob’s Red Mill) will work, if measured like this.
 
EGG FREE, DAIRY FREE + VEGAN VERSION: No modifications needed!
 
HOW TO MAKE INDIVIDUAL ROLLS / SCONES: Follow my instructions here!
 
ADDING RAISINS: Before beginning, add ¼ cup (40g) raisins to a microwave-safe bowl. Pour water on top until they’re completely covered. Seal plastic wrap over the top (or place a lid or plate on top!), and microwave the bowl on high for 1 minute. Let the raisins sit while making the dough (or for at least 5 minutes – ideally longer, if possible!). At the end of Step 2, thoroughly drain the raisins, and gently fold them into the dough.
 
HOW TO STORE: This soda bread is best if eaten the same day it’s made. However, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for at least two days. (If you store them in the refrigerator, they’ll keep longer – but the bread will be less moist and tender.) After storing, the crust loses its crisp crunch, so just keep that in mind!
 
{gluten free, egg free, dairy free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, sugar free}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amyshealthybaking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Irish Soda Bread Scones
♡  Healthy Raisin Irish Soda Bread Scones
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Whole Wheat Rolls
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Cornbread
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Cornbread Muffins

best easy & healthy Irish soda bread – simple 10-minute light, vegan, egg free & sugar free recipe – crusty & golden brown on the outside, with the round loaf cut into slices that reveal its soft & moist texture inside

 

 

Comments

    • 5 ingredients and no kneading — it doesn’t get any simpler than this! Just be careful when you pull it out of the oven… It’s so tempting to eat the entire loaf all in one sitting!

      Reply

    • You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I still want to try making your sourdough bread too!

      Reply

    • I agree — change that soon! :] I hadn’t had Irish soda bread before I baked this loaf, but now I’m looking for any excuse to make it again. I may try to do mini loaves (or rolls) the next time… Portion control goes out the window when it comes to me and bread products!

      Reply

  4. I’ve wanted to make Irish soda bread for such a long time. You’d think I remember when St. Patrick’s day rolls around but I always forget. I can’t believe it only took you 45 — that’s great! Thanks for sharing, I’m going to pin it.

    Reply

    • Me too! I had wanted to make Irish soda bread last year, but I didn’t have any time before St. Patrick’s Day. This particular recipe is so short and simple that it would be delicious any night of the week, so maybe you won’t have to wait for the holiday to bake a loaf after all!

      Reply

  5. You know, I don’t know how it’s possible, but I’ve never had Irish soda bread before, looks awesome though, gotta try it! From the ingredients it seems like it’d be very similar to how we make our scones in Sweden (we rarely make sweet scones). Happy St. Patty’s Day!

    Reply

    • I hadn’t realized that other people make scones that aren’t sweet! I have to try that sometime. If you try the Irish soda bread, I hope you enjoy it! And happy St. Patrick’s Day to you too!

      Reply

    • Oh my — yes you’re right! Thank you so much for catching that. I must have been too distracted by the visiting leprechauns to type the recipe correctly… ;] All fixed now!

      Reply

    • Thank you! I loved it too. I ate three servings the first day, then finished it off the next. It’s hard to beat good homemade bread!

      Reply

  8. Yum, what a beautiful loaf! I love the fact that this recipe doesn’t contain yeast… so good to be able to bake it within the hour! I’ll have to give it a go! Thanks for sharing (love your blog, by the way!) x

    Reply

    • Thank you! I loved that it didn’t contain any yeast either, so I didn’t have to wait hours until I could enjoy the bread. I hope you like it!

      Reply

  9. Amy, this is a great simple recipe. I love your photography. It looks beautiful. I am going to try a vegan version of this with raisins and orange zest. Thank you so much for the wonderful inspiration.

    Reply

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