Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Every year, we head out to a few festivities, celebrate the day with a parade, a street fair, and some Irish “cuisine” aka Guinness, Green Beer, and green dyed everything. As fun as it can be, I’m not a huge fan of green dye and beer doesn’t agree with my stomach, so when it rained this weekend, I was happy to forgo the activities and instead plan some green and Irish treats for the week ahead. Yesterday we started with a green smoothie bowl, and today, we attempted Irish Soda Bread.
I am pretty sure I have never ever had Irish Soda Bread before, despite my being a quarter Irish. It might be because I am also a quarter Polish, and the other half is a mixture of several things. I tan easily, have brown hair (not super dark or light), and my eyes are a brownish-greenish-hazel. Overall, not super Irish but I’ll embrace it for the day 😉
I decided to try my hand at a gluten free Irish Soda Bread. I followed a recipe I found from Kitchen Apparel and made a few modifications to accommodate my own needs (non-dairy) and make it a bit healthier. It was super easy and came out absolutely delicious! If you’ve never had Irish Soda Bread, I highly suggest trying it. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it and it turns out it is slightly sweet, from the natural sweetness of the raisins not the small amount of raw sugar. It is also a little dense, but not heavy. Whip it up before dinner for a sweet addition to your meal, a dessert, or for your breakfast tomorrow. I have a feeling I will be making this much more often than just March 17th 😉
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour ( I use Bob's Red Mill)
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
- 1 tsp xantham gum
- ¾ tsp himalayan sea salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil (I used a tbsp of each)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup unsweetened, vanilla almond milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees,
- Soak raisins in warm water until ready to use. This will plump them up a bit, so they are nice and sweet when baked.
- In a small bowl, combine vinegar and almond milk. Whisk to incorporate. This is your non-dairy substitute for the traditional buttermilk in the bread.
- In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, sea salt, xantham gum, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- Add in your egg, raisins, and almond milk mixture. Mix with a spoon at first to blend together, then use your hands to knead and form a ball of dough.
- Place the dough ball in a baking dish. Score the top of the dough in an "x" and place in the oven.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
What is your favorite Irish Food to whip up on the holiday? Ever tried Irish Soda Bread?
Peace and Love,
Jessi
