Gluten-free Irish soda bread with oat flour has a rustic, dense but soft texture, and hearty flavor, with a perfectly crunchy crust and tender crumb. This quick bread is super easy to make with no wait time, minimal mixing, and no kneading.
Cut in butter with a pastry blender, or your fingers. The mixture will resemble coarse crumbs.
2 tablespoon cold butter
Combine yogurt with milk or water.
1 cups plain full fat or Greek yogurt, 1 cup milk or water
Make a well, and pour in yogurt/water mixture.
Stir together to mix well (you will have a slightly sticky dough).
Shape by hand into a flat round about 8" across
With a sharp knife, score a large, shallow X across the top of the dough.
Use a pastry brush to glaze the top with reserved yogurt, then sprinkle with oats.
½ cup rolled oats
Bake in center of oven for about 30 minutes. The loaf should be golden brown with no wet batter visible in the scoring.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Oat Flour: I originally tested this gluten-free Irish soda bread using only oat flour. The result was very dense and crumbly. After a couple of tries with the ratio of flours, I think I got it right with this recipe. If you don't want to use oat flour, you can make this loaf using only a gluten-free flour blend. Replace the two cups of oat flour with one and a half cups of gluten-free flour blend, for a total of three and one quarter cups of flour.
Add an egg: You can add a beaten egg along with the yogurt, which will make the loaf richer and more cake-like.
Sweetener: If you prefer a sweet Irish soda bread, add a tablespoon of white sugar, brown sugar, molasses (my favorite), or honey. Stir the sweetener into the yogurt before adding it to the dry ingredients.
Add in's: Raisins or currents are popular add-ins, but you can also add dried cranberries, caraway seeds, dried herbs like rosemary and thyme, or chopped nuts.
Buttermilk: You can use buttermilk instead of the yogurt/milk combo that I used for this recipe, in the same quantity. If you don't have either, make your own by adding one tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar per cup of milk. Stir and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
Baking: You can bake your loaf on a baking sheet, like I do with a parchment paper or silicone liner. You can also use a cast iron skillet or and oven safe dish. It should be 8-9 inches diameter. If the loaf is browning too quickly, loosely tent it with aluminum foil.
Storage: Store your homemade soda bread in an airtight container, or zip lock bag for three days at room temperature or up to five days in the fridge.
To Freeze: After cooling completely, tightly wrap the wrap the whole loaf in plastic wrap or in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. You can also wrap and freeze individual slices.