Healthy Irish Soda Bread Scones

Yields: 12 scones

This is the easiest bread recipe you’ll ever make! These (mostly) traditional Irish soda bread scones are really moist with a lovely hint of soda flavor, and although not exactly traditional, that optional sprinkling of sea salt adds such a bright and delicious pop of flavor, too. These scones are best if served warm the same day they’re made, but they’ll keep for at least 3 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature or at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (if not longer!).

2 ¼ cups (270g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup + 3 tbsp (165mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk (see Notes!)
2 tbsp (30mL) plain white vinegar
optional: flaky sea salt, for finishing (highly recommended!)

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 fully incorporated.
Working with a small section of dough at a time, shape into a ball. Place onto the prepared baking sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width. (If the dough sticks to your hands, moisten your fingers and palms with a bit of water in between shaping each scone!) Once all of the scones have been shaped, score a + into the top of each one with a sharp knife, slicing about halfway through the dough (not all the way through!). If using the flaky sea salt, sprinkle a generous amount on top of each scone.
Bake at 425°F for 15-17 minutes or until the outsides are crusty and the insides feel firm to the touch. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes: 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 (like this one!) will work, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

Remember to measure the flour correctly, 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 it may not fully incorporated. If that happens to you, add a little extra milk (1 teaspoon at a time) until you can incorporate all of the flour.

Any milk will work in place of the unsweetened almond milk.

I haven’t tried any other vinegar (apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, etc) and don’t know how they’ll turn out.

Traditional Irish soda bread calls for 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 buttermilk for the milk AND vinegar. Because buttermilk is thicker than the other two, you may need to add slightly more if you can’t incorporate all of the flour. (Also, see my blog post above for more details on traditional Irish soda bread!)

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 the flakes aren't quite as large before I sprinkle it on top of the scones.

To Make One Loaf of Bread: Using a spatula, shape the dough into a 1 ½” tall circle (about 5 ½” in diameter) on your prepared baking sheet. Score a + sign into the top, slicing about halfway through. If using the flaky sea salt, sprinkle a generous amount on top. Bake at 425°F for 27-30 minutes or until the outside is crusty and slightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, sugar-free}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2019/03/06/healthy-irish-soda-bread-scones/