Not Dry-rish Soda Bread

Funny that it’s called Irish Soda Bread: there’s more baking powder in there than there is baking soda.
I’d also say it’s moist, but we’ve already had a discussion in the past about the fact it’s quite a loathsome word, indeed. (Dead Like Me, anyone?)
So let’s just say: it’s not dry. And it’s not traditional in any way. So it’s more of a simple whole wheat savory loaf.
Adapted from food mayhem who adapted it from all recipes, because I try to avoid using white flour and white sugar.
Among a few other changes, I also kept the raisins out for more flexible uses.
Easy to make and delicious to boot, definitely a keeper for the times when you don’t have the patience to build a yeast bread from the ground up. So to speak.
Keep in mind I am now weighing ingredients, rather than using measuring cups. Good scales like the one I have (in green) are rather affordable, if you’re considering making the switch too.
Simple Whole Wheat Savory Loaf Non-stick cooking spray
1/4 cup (56 g) nondairy butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 cups (470 ml) unsweetened or plain soymilk
3 cups (360 g) whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons (24 g) raw sugar
3 tablespoons (46 g) unsweetened applesauceLightly coat an 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13-cm) loaf pan with spray.
Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Set aside to cool.
Combine vinegar and soymilk in a medium bowl: it will curdle and become like buttermilk.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in sugar.
Whisk melted butter and applesauce into buttermilk mixture.
Fold wet ingredients into dry, being careful not to over mix.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Let stand 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3).
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from pan, let cool on a wire rack before slicing.Yield: one 9-inch (23-cm) loaf
Mihl said,
March 11, 2009 at 3:47 am
I never made soda bread! This sounds so easy and delicious.
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VeggieGirl said,
March 11, 2009 at 3:49 am
Looks great!! Perfect for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday :-)
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Rosa said,
March 11, 2009 at 3:57 am
This fluffy soda bread looks delicious! The applesauce must contribute to it’s moistness…
Cheers,
Rosa
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 5:08 am
ewwwwwwwwwwww! ha.
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Shelby said,
March 11, 2009 at 4:19 am
I’m totally making this for St. Patrick’s Day! It’s perfect!
PS. I totally hate the m word too. It makes me cringe!
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 5:08 am
and doesn’t it seem that the more you hate a word, the more often you hear it spoken?
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The voracious Vegan said,
March 11, 2009 at 4:27 am
Looks delicious and sounds so simple! Great picture too.
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 5:07 am
I love simple. but I’m not digging the pics lately. blah.
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Ricki said,
March 11, 2009 at 4:35 am
You are so punny! Love the title. And my HH got me hooked on Dead Like Me, too–who knew death could be funny?
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 5:06 am
I hear the movie that came out (without making a sound) was pretty crappy though, unfortunately.
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Happy Vegan Lady said,
March 11, 2009 at 4:43 am
Thank you for using grams rather than cups! I’m from the UK and much prefer to weigh my ingredients (in grams or ounces, depending on the book the recipe is from). Although I’ve managed so far (by using a Tala for dry ingredients and a measuring jug for wet ingredients, or through conversions) it’s nice to not have to go through that hassle! And this bread looks delicious – I’m thinking of surprising my friends with some on Tuesday.
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 5:05 am
I hope it works out well for you too! I love the fact that weighing ingredients = less dishes to clean. because I’m a lazy butt like that.
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Mara @ What's For Dinner? said,
March 11, 2009 at 4:46 am
I absolutely love soda bread, and this recipe looks awesome!
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Sal said,
March 11, 2009 at 5:07 am
Looks great. I love soda bread too and it’s so much easier and quicker than yeast dough!
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Tami (Vegan Appetite) said,
March 11, 2009 at 6:00 am
I just made soda bread, too! I went the more traditional route.
Hey, I read that if you add fruit to your soda bread, it’s then called Spotted Dog. Makes me want to make it again just for that!
Looks wonderful, Celine!
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Jackie said,
March 11, 2009 at 6:02 am
This looks great! My ancestry is 75% irish and yet, I’ve never made soda bread. Shame on me. I started using a scale too. Don’t you love being able to just put the bowl on there and dump the ingredients in, instead of having to scoop and level (not to mention trying to find a clean measuring cup that’s the right size)? Alright, maybe I’m just lazy.
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Carrie said,
March 11, 2009 at 6:03 am
Yum! I’ve only had soda bread once and I wasn’t impressed, but your’s looks so much better!
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laci said,
March 11, 2009 at 6:27 am
FANTASTIC bread, looks so fresh, nutritous but fluffy and authentic! :D
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Kiersten said,
March 11, 2009 at 7:16 am
this sounds SO much better than all the traditional (and uber dry) soda breads i have tried before. i like that you used whole wheat flour instead of white.
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Ani said,
March 11, 2009 at 7:30 am
When I was living in Spain and was taught how to bake certain things using the scale, I wondered what in the hell all of us with measuring cups were thinking. So I’ve been slowly but surely converting all of my recipes into metric. Goodbye trying-to-fill-measuring-cups-of-water-with-the-right-amount-of-margarine-to-find-out-that-you’ve-accidentally-used-hot-water-and-melted-half-of-it!
On the other hand, I have measuring cups that are shaped like geese and I want to trot them out at every possible opportunity because they’re so freakin’ adorable. Life is hard, isn’t it?
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
geese-shaped measuring cups? okay, that would sway me back, too.
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Shellyfish said,
March 11, 2009 at 7:31 am
J’ai trop hâte d’essayer ton super soda bread! I’m with Ricki, you’re a punny bunny! Quand est-ce que tu viens me voir?? Bisous!
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
demain. j’arrive!
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Veronica said,
March 11, 2009 at 7:39 am
That looks delicious. I try to bake my own bread instead of going the store-bought route… but since I’m often too lazy/impatient to do so that usually just means I go a lot of the time without loaves of bread. Will give this a try, then!
(Also – Dead Like Me? Fanfreakingtastic. I loved that show.)
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I’m not daring giving the newly released movie a go, since even hardcore fans gave it a thumbs way up rating.
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
or, you know, down.
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natalie said,
March 11, 2009 at 7:49 am
Thanks! About 3 years ago I was travelling in Ireland and I couldn’t find any vegan food at all so I just ate soda bread (which traditionally has milk in it) for a week. Now I’m inspired to make it!
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
you must have been all sodaed out upon your return. but yay, a trip to Ireland is probably worth the pain of it.
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Tahinitoo said,
March 11, 2009 at 7:51 am
The “m” word gives me the shudders and shakes. Your bread recipes give me pure glee. So there.
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
want some jam with your glee?
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Jodye said,
March 11, 2009 at 8:38 am
Looks delicious as always! Care to send me some!?
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
afraid it wouldn’t make it there quite as moi… not dry.
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Cookie said,
March 11, 2009 at 8:48 am
yum looks delicious! do you think whole wheat pastry flour would work?
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
definitely. there’s nothing ww pastry flour can’t do.
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Jes said,
March 11, 2009 at 9:42 am
I’d been thinking about making soda bread for awhile but have been too lazy to rework a recipe to my taste. I’ll have to try this one out!
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A&N said,
March 11, 2009 at 10:17 am
Wow the bread looks fantastic! I am trying to bake without eggs so I came across your site through some blog hopping :) I enjoyed reading your posts and the recipes :)
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Sanja said,
March 11, 2009 at 11:14 am
Can I just say yay for weighing ingredients? Cups etc are so… not precise, and my OCD self has a hard time dealing with that. ;-)
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
and cleaning up’s a breeze! wow. I sound like a commercial.
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DJ Karma (VegSpinz) said,
March 11, 2009 at 11:43 am
Great! I’ve been trying to use less ap flour too, and just bought some whole wheat white flour. This looks yummy!
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Bianca- Vegan Crunk said,
March 11, 2009 at 11:56 am
This is perfect for St. Patty’s Day. I’m planning a few Irish foods to celebrate before I go out and get plastered that night. I’ll add this to my list!
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Bianca- Vegan Crunk said,
March 11, 2009 at 11:56 am
BTW, when you say whole wheat flour, you mean like the hardcore kind, right? Not pastry flour?
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
totally. I was surprised with the results for that very reason.
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anthony said,
March 11, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hey, your blog is amazing! I have been getting into Irish soda bread lately, as well as seitan corned beef and cabbage, and lots of potatoes to celebrate Irish culture for St Patrick’s day. I have to work on making my own version soon. I read an article recently about traditional Irish soda bread and it is supposed to be dry and crumbly. Not sweet and moist. But i prefer a version similar to yours. Whole grains are a must as well.
P.s. thanks for being awesome.
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River (Wing-it Vegan) said,
March 11, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Ah, the “M” word. When you become president of the world, you must promise to banish that word from the English language. Along with “corns”. Why must a foot problem share a name with a food?
Anyway, thanks for the recipe and the scales tip! Fewer dishes to wash are always a plus!
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
and why does “bunion” have to rhyme with “onion”?
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River (Wing-it Vegan) Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 3:51 am
Thanks, Celine! :)
Oh man, bunion is the worst word ever! Worse than moist and corns! There is a restaurant somewhere in Wisconsin called “Paul Bunyan” something or another. Ewww!! That is the last place you will catch me eating.
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kickpleat said,
March 11, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I totally have to try my hand at making soda bread this year…though I think I might keep in the raisins. Yum.
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Celine Reply:
March 11th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I love me some raisins, too.
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Elyse said,
March 11, 2009 at 9:26 pm
What a great sounding recipe. It sounds totally not-dry! You’ve reminded me that I really need to invest in a kitchen scale. It’s so much better than those darn measuring cups!
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Vegetation said,
March 11, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Oh Celine! YUM! I thinks I have to be making some of this this weekend (thankfully tomorrow is already Friday so I won’t have to be waiting long!) And finally! I can use my kitchen scales I got not long ago (and hopefully not end in disaster due to being kind of heavy handed when measuring flour in cups!)
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Philippa O said,
March 12, 2009 at 3:38 am
I love dead like me! so sad it got axed
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Avery said,
March 12, 2009 at 5:45 am
I really want to make this recipe for my gluten-free friend. What would be the best way to adapt it? Thanks!
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Celine Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 7:25 am
do you have access to guaranteed gluten-free oats? if not, I’d recommend for another, tried and true gf recipe instead.
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allularpunk said,
March 12, 2009 at 7:49 am
i was just talking about making soda bread 2 days ago. you must have been reading my mind. neato. what am i thinking….rightnow!?
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Celine Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 8:39 am
don’t tell me, don’t tell me…you need to go to the barfroom?
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Cakespy said,
March 12, 2009 at 10:18 am
Awesome–I love how you’ve offered solutions to keep it moist. That’s my biggest complaint about Irish Soda bread, that it dries out so fast! Awesome.
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Celine Reply:
March 12th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
the original Irish bread scrapes at the throat when it goes down, I feel.
that came out…wrong?
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Jennifer said,
March 12, 2009 at 10:20 am
That looks really easy to make! Thanks Celine!
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Sara said,
March 12, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Hey Celine,
Thanks for the encouraging comment on my blog! Appreciate it! I also appreciate your delicious recipes, keep that hot oven pumping out yummy stuff please!
thanks,
sara
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marie said,
March 13, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Celine- I gave you an award. http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2009/03/award.html :-) Marie
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Celine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
merci Marie!
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Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said,
March 13, 2009 at 5:21 pm
thanks for the scale recommendation! I just put it on my wishlist. I’ve suspected mine of being unreliable for a while, it just seems cheezy somehow. And no vegan wants a cheezy scale.
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Celine Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
depends on the cheeze! mmm…nooch.
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meghan said,
March 14, 2009 at 11:00 am
i have been so busy that i haven’t had any time to blog or read other people’s blogs.
i forgot how much i love to read your posts.
as usual, you are amazing.
cheers,
meghan
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Celine Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
I miss you, Meghan!
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melody polakow said,
March 15, 2009 at 7:44 am
Wow.. that looks like the best soda bread I’ve seen! hehe.. I almost said the wettest soda bread!
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Kris said,
March 15, 2009 at 9:09 am
Oh, that bread looks delicious! Perfect for breakfast this morning…
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Nick said,
March 16, 2009 at 7:46 am
Excellent recipe, I was on the hunt for a whole grain soda bread to try since I’ve never had it before. I may try it with raisins but I think that might weigh it down too much…
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Celine Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
yeah I’m not convinced about adding raisins either. I think I’ll just use them in cookies instead. ;)
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Julie Hasson said,
March 16, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Yum!
Thanks for visiting my blog Celine. I love the new book cover (saw it on Joni’s site). I can’t wait for it’s release!
Julie
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Afsoon said,
March 16, 2009 at 5:31 pm
May I say how cute your blog is? <3
Absolutely love it! And I will try the recipe :0)
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Celine Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
thanks, Afsoon.
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Debbie said,
March 26, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Looks delish, although I live in Northern Ireland and we call that wheaten bread! Soda bread is white and made on a griddle. Or at least what I know as soda bread anyway.
Great blog! :)
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St. Paddy’s Day Meal - C’est La Vegan said,
May 10, 2009 at 7:43 am
[...] Day but for some reason I felt like doing it this year. I made the Irish soda bread recipe from Have Cake Will Travel. It was super easy and very tasty, especially slathered with Earth Balance. And like promised, [...]