Irish Soda Bread

I know, I know, it is the day after St. Patrick's day here in the US, but I finally got this recipe to where I like it and I wanted to share it before I forget to do so. I ended up combining a recipe from my old baking book from Better Homes and Gardens and the GF Irish soda bread recipe from Living Without from last year. I liked the flavor of the Living Without bread, but the loaf turned out with a really heavy consistency to it. It could have been just the fact that I don't have a food scale, but I wanted to find a flour mix that worked more with what I keep on hand at all times and not end up with such a dense bread. I also wanted it to be a more traditional style so I did bake it on the baking stone in a free-form shape.

This bread also went really well with the vegetarian Shepard's pie that I made for dinner and there was only a small piece of the loaf left after our meal was over. I got the recipe for the Shepard's pie from foodnetwork.com, so I will not share that one here, but it is a good one if you want to try it for your meal next year. Even though this bread is made by people outside Ireland only once a year, it is full of flavor and I think works well for any time of year when you want a quick loaf to go with dinner. Enjoy.




Ingredients:

1 cup/235ml oat flour finely milled
1/2 cup/120ml brown rice flour
1/2 cup/120ml potato starch
1/4 cup/60ml oats, coarsely milled
1 tsp/5ml baking soda
1 tsp/5ml cream of tartar
1/2 tsp/2.5ml salt

2 tbsp/30ml flax seed, milled
6 tbsp/90ml hot water

1 cup/235ml non-dairy beverage of choice (I like hemp or coconut-unsweetened)
1/4tsp/1ml vinegar
2 tbsp/30ml brown sugar

Preheat the over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix the water and flax seed and set aside for 10 minutes or so. Mix together the dry ingredients. Blend in the remaining ingredients and blend together until just mixed. On a preheated baking stone (or a cookie sheet that has been lightly oiled), spoon out the mixture into the center of the stone. With slightly wet hands, shape the dough into a round and pat it down a little so that it has a good loaf shape.

Cut an x shape into the top of the dough. This step is optional.

Bake for 30-35 minutes (less at lower altitudes) until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let it rest on a cooling rack for at least 1/2 an hour before cutting and serving.