Recipe: Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread

There are a couple of things I really remember and cherish about the four times I have been to Ireland.  One of them…is drinking hot tea and enjoying a piece of Irish Soda Bread.  Most people don’t immediately relate Ireland with food…but this is me we’re talking about.  And I live for my food.

Luckily…I also love to cook and bake.  And while I have done gluten-free Irish Soda Bread before…it really hasn’t impressed me or anyone else.

Imagine my delight, then, to find an easy recipe for Irish Soda Bread on the back of a box of, believe it or not, Gluten Free Pantry (Glutino) Brown Rice Pancake & Waffle Mix.  It looked so easy.  Too easy, perhaps.  I was leery…I didn’t know how bread would work coming from a mix meant for delicious, carby, breakfast goodness.  But, isn’t that what bread is anyway?  Why not.  As I happened to have all of the ingredients in my pantry and fridge…I went for it.  All I would be out was a box of pancake mix that was nearing expiration anyway, and a few pantry staples.

Lucky for me…what emerged was SO not what I expected and everything I hoped and prayed it would be.  Easy.  Delicious.  Dense without being heavy (like real Irish Soda Bread).  Buttery.  And not dry and flaky.  Perfection.

And here…is the recipe, straight off the back of the box of Glutino’s Gluten Free Pantry Brown Rice Pancake & Waffle Mix.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread

Servings: 12
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Bake 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• One box of Gluten Free Pantry Brown Rice Pancake and Waffle Mix
• 2 organic eggs
• ¾ cup low-fat organic milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 2 tablespoons melted organic butter or vegetable oil (I used Earth Balance)
• ¾ cup organic raisins (I used golden raisins)
• 2 teaspoons caraway seed (optional)
• 2 teaspoons grated organic orange rind
• 1 tablespoon melted organic butter to brush top of bread

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly oil an 8-inch cake pan.  Set aside.

Empty contents of one box of mix into medium mixing bowl.

Blend in caraway seeds and orange rind, if using.

Combine eggs, milk and 2 tablespoons butter or oil and beat into mix.

Fold in raisins.

Spread into prepared cake pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until top is brown.  Brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Cool slightly.  Cut into wedges and enjoy!

~*~*~

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from this recipe at all.  I mean, come on, it’s being made from, not a flour blend or all-purpose flour.  Nope.  A pancake and waffle mix.  I had my doubts.  But this came out of the oven a rich golden color, all fluffy and amazing smelling.  It looked awesome.  I sliced it up into 12 wedges and served them up for breakfast.

SO delicious.  Dense, like real soda bread, and packed with awesome flavor.  The orange zest really does add a nice zing to the loaf, so I do recommend adding that.  I skipped the caraway seeds in my recipe.  I love this bread.  I can’t wait to make it again in the very near future.  If you love Irish Soda Bread…give this recipe a try.  You’d never guess it was gluten-free.  And, even better, you’d never know it came from a pancake and waffle mix.

This is for breakfast again today.  YUM!