The mother of invention? If I call this new gluten-free bread an Irish Soda Bread, traditionalists will chuckle. Raisins aren’t traditional in a “real” Irish soda bread, you see (if a soda bread has raisins in it, it’s called the Spotted Dog in the Emerald Isle, or so I’m told).
And really, when you think about it, why the hell not?
When it comes to traditions, I squirm and bristle under duress and “should” like an itchy Catholic schoolgirl with her new Easter shoes pinching and looking out the window at the unsteady spring sky. I admire traditions. At least in theory. In an abstract way. Experimenting, however, is more interesting to me than the formula. When it comes to formula, I prefer to tinker. Don’t fence me inform my DNA.
That’s why I like cooking gluten-free.
My skill set is deep on the intuitive side. If a recipe calls for x amount of flour and I feel like the dough is too wet, I will add more flour until the dough feels “right.” Experience helps. No doubt about it. The process of trial and error gives you a feel for gluten-free dough, a feel for muffin dough, and how it might perform on any given day. Which varies, I hate to tell you. So I pay attention to things like humidity and room temperature. Do some cooking. Weather.
Bread dough will behave differently on a hot, humid day in July than on a windy, cold afternoon in March. Your cuisine changes with the seasons, you know. So the recipes might have to change a little too. You may need to adjust the amount of milk or gluten-free flour. Modified slightly towards wet or dry. Or sometimes both. As confusing as it may sound.
Cooking gluten-free is more of an art than a science. I recommend you tune into your ingredients and learn how they behave. Learn how humidity affects flour: Note that it is humidity. Or dryness. Why? Dry flours will absorb more liquids. Wet flours are heavier and may require less moisture. A cool, drafty kitchen may require a longer rising time than a hot, muggy kitchen. A thin metal pan can bake the outside of a loaf faster than the inside can keep up. Your oven may get a little hotter than you imagined. Or stay behind and never fully preheat (do your gluten-free baked goods end up chewy in the center?).
Gluten-free cooking requires your full attention. Presence. A pinch of patience. An intimacy with your ingredients. The willingness to adapt. And above all, develop an intuition you can trust.
Even if it goes against tradition.
Karina xox
Karina’s gluten-free Irish Soda Bread recipe – with commercialsS
Optimized from my original recipe published in 2011 by Karina Allrich.
Feel free to use your favorite milk or non-dairy milk in this recipe. (But note: A nontraditional coconut milk and a touch of coconut flour add a subtle, fragrant tenderness to this quick, easy, rustic bread.)
And if you can’t use coconut flour, try replacing the coconut flour with sweet rice flour.
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a 7- or 8-inch cake pan with a piece of parchment paper.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice flour or gluten-free oat flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour, gluten-free oat flour, or millet flour
1/2 cup almond or hazelnut flour
1/2 cup cassava, tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)
1/4 cup organic coconut flour
1/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons double action baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (many people omit the gums these days)
3 organic free-range eggs or egg replacer
6 tablespoons light olive oil or avocado oil
3/4 cup coconut milk, soy milk or non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 to 3/4 cup currants (or raisins)
Instructions:
Whisk together the flours and dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly pour the liquid portion into the dry ingredients, stirring gently as you go. To do this I use a soft silicone spatula. If you need a little more coconut milk to moisten the dough, add a tablespoon at a time and mix.
When the dough is uniformly moist and sticky, add the raisins and mix with your hands to combine.
Scrape out the dough and place it in the center of the lined cake pan. Use oiled or wet hands to mound the dough into a rustic round loaf. If you prefer, add more raisins and press them lightly.
Cut a small criss-cross in the center of the dough.
Place the baking tray in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 30-33 minutes, until the loaf is golden and firm. Insert a wooden toothpick in the center to check for doneness.
Serve slightly warm with your favorite butter spread and some fruity jam.
Notes on the recipe:
Rustic soda bread is really best eaten hot from the oven. This latest version is tender and slightly sweet, perfect for tea time.
This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
