Irish Soda Bread-ish

Oy. This bread. I lost count of the trials it took before finally landing on a version I wanted to share. I don't really know what to call it, either. It's not traditional Irish soda bread, but it's not really like other types of bread or baked goods. 

It falls in between Irish soda bread, drop biscuits, cornbread, and scones. That's why I finally decided on Irish Soda Bread-ish. Just like I'm Ir-ish. 

I am also this funny in person.

I started out making this bread with almond flour, millet flour, and sorghum flour. The flavor was great but the texture just wasn't doing it for me. It was slightly gritty/grainy and turned slightly paste-like as you chewed. That sounds absolutely horrible. It was more than edible but just not what I wanted.

I then switched the almond flour to almond meal for a little more heartiness and swapped millet flour for out flour. The millet was definitely contributing to the grainy texture but the oat flour helped soften things up. Most gluten-free soda bread recipes call for starch and xanthan gum, which is probably what helps gives it a more traditional soda bread texture. While I have no problem with those ingredients, I try to bake using only whole-grain/nut flours as much as possible. I was determined to do what I could with the almond meal, oat flour, and sorghum flour.

Typically, Irish soda bread recipes also call for kneading the dough. But when I limited the amount of buttermilk to the point where I could knead the dough, it created a way-to-dense and dry loaf. Those were not edible. 

I found that folding the wet and dry together worked the best. You don't want to overwork this dough. The ingredients should be just combined before scooping into the pan.

The dough is quite shaggy and on the sticky side, for sure. It has a lot of airiness to it, so be gentle when you transition it to the pan. If you spread it firmly to the edges the air pockets will fill and you'll have a much denser loaf. When you move it to the pan you barely have to do anything at all. A few light taps to help it spread and you're good to go.

It comes together in under 10 minutes and then takes about 30 minutes to bake. Definitely an easy bread to make and a fabulous breakfast option. It's very low in sugar and has a good bit of protein and fiber from the whole-grain (and almond) flours.

So what's the best topping for this non-traditional Irish soda bread?

Butter + jam. 

Simply the best.

I have eaten my weight in this bread. I mean, really. It was bad. But oh so good.

While this may not be traditional Irish Soda Bread, I think you'll still approve.

Print Recipe!

Irish Soda Bread-ish

gluten-free

• 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1 cup almond meal
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sorghum flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or other granulated sugar)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cold butter 
• 1 large egg + 1 yolk
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450° F. Grease a 9-inch cast iron pan or pie dish.

Place dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir together until combined. Chop butter and cut in to the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until evenly distributed and crumbly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. (Be sure oven is fully preheated before mixing wet and dry. As soon as the dough is mixed and placed in the pan it needs to go in the oven.) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Fold the dry and wet ingredients together with a wooden spoon until you no longer see dry flour. Avoid over-stirring.

Hold the bowl over your pan and gently push the dough into the center of the pan. It should be sticky and thick. Gently tap (do not pack down or firmly spread -- work lightly) the center of the dough to help it spread towards the outer edges of the pan. The dough should be about 1 inch from the outer edge. The dough will be very shaggy with an airy feel.

Bake at 450° for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake for 20-25 minutes. Bread shoudl be golden brown on the top and edges and when you tap it should sound sort of hollow and feel set.

Let cool for 10 minutes then slice while warm and top with butter and jam. Let fully cool before storing. Bread loses outer crustiness once stored.

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Notes:

• I highly recommend making this recipe exactly as stated above for the best texture outcome.
• I like using Kerrygold butter here but regular butter will also do!

A large hunk of this bread, warmed, with 2-3 drippy eggs = breakfast perfection.

Ashley

Breakfast Friday | Matcha Waffles

Do you know happens when you make 7 batches of matcha waffles and taste test each one multiple times?

You shake for a few hours and your heart feels like it's going to jump out of your chest.  The good news is I finally landed on a recipe, and I've stopped shaking enough to actually type and have coherent thoughts! 

I've learned 1 serving (1 teaspoon) of matcha tea is my limit and each of these waffles are infused with exactly 1 teaspoon of matcha. Perfect! You won't need coffee or tea on the side because one waffle will keep you energized (and full!) all morning long. And typically, when you don't ingest multiple servings in a row, matcha tea won't give you that cracked-out feeling like coffee tends to do. It's a much more balanced buzz.

I'm not joking when I say it took 7 trials to finally land on the one. It's been that kind of week around here. Speaking of, that is why I didn't share a recipe on Wednesday. I had high hopes of giving you a recipe for Irish Soda Bread in preparation for St. Patty's day, but after about 5 trials I still can't get the texture right. And because I'm not at all ahead on my recipe creation I had to give myself a pass on posting Wednesday. 

Once you make these waffles you will totally forgive me.

I started by making them with oat flour and almond meal. I wanted these as simple as possible but obviously, they have to taste fabulous. After two trials that were very "meh," (great descriptor) I started over. Also, the waffles weren't green enough on the inside and I wasn't about to start adding more matcha! At first I thought, what about swapping pistachio meal for almond meal? While peeking into my mess-of-an-ingredient-drawer I saw a near empty bag of pistachios but a completely full bag of pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)! 

Could this actually work? I was excited at the possibility for 2 reasons. 1) More green color. 2) Finally a baked-good recipe for your lovely people that is gluten + nut free!  
 

The pepita meal was definitely the way to go. It still took a handful more trials to nail the amount of milk, oil, and baking powder to achieve a crispy but tender, deep-pocketed waffle.

They were tasting great straight from the waffle maker but seemed to kind of dry out quickly as they cooled. My solution for that was adding a small amount of applesauce to the mix.

And finally, I was finished. And shaking. And trying to take photos while shaking. And still eating more waffles. Will I ever learn?

The matcha lends a smooth, green tea flavor with a subtle sweetness. You'll always find matcha in powder form. And because the powder is so fine it incorporates easily into almost anything (like smoothies, baked goods, etc.). It's on the pricey side, so I totally understand if you want to pass on including it. 

Instead, you can sub cinnamon for the matcha (recommended in the "notes" below if serving to kids!). 

Print Recipe!

Matcha Waffles 

gluten-free // yields 2, 6-inch Belgian waffles
*recipe updated 3/23/15 to include baking powder

• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup pepita seed meal (finely ground from raw pepitas)
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or other granulated sugar)
• 2 teaspoons matcha tea
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or soy, whole milk, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons melted unrefined coconut oil

Preheat your waffle iron according to manufacturer instructions. (I use mine a notch over medium.) Grease if needed. Preheat oven to 200° F to keep waffles warm if desired.

In a large bowl stir the oat flour, pepita meal, sugar, tea, baking powder, and salt together until well combined.

In another bowl whisk the egg, then whisk in the milk, applesauce, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add in the melted coconut oil, whisk thoroughly, then pour into the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined, when you no longer see dry flour.

Pour half of the mixture onto your waffle iron and cook until desired browning has been reached. (I cook mine just over 1 full cycle, using  a Waring Pro double-sided waffle maker.) Place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with 2nd waffle. For the best crispy texture, serve waffles as they come out of the waffle maker. 

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

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Recipe notes:

• You can grind pepita seed meal just like any other flour or nut meal. Be sure to use raw, unsalted pepitas. I like to use my blender in 1 cup batches, pulsing and scraping very frequently, to avoid buildup of heat and moisture. You can also use a food processor, high quality (clean) coffee grinder, magic bullet, etc. Sift out any large pieces and grind again if needed. The resulting meal should be soft and fluffy. 
• Sub for matcha: 1 - 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (They will lose their green color, caffeine, and tea flavor.) I would recommend this sub for the kiddos! 
• Sub for pepita seed meal: almond meal 
• Possible subs for oat flour: *not tested* sorghum flour, gluten-free all-purpose blend without bean flour
• You can lower the oil and sugar if desired. If you lesson the oil, replace with milk. Also, the waffle will not crisp nearly as well. I felt the sugar really helped bring out the flavor of the matcha and then only needed a light drizzle of maple syrup to top.
• Sub any other baking oil instead of coconut oil if desired. Butter would also work great.

Who's coming over for breakfast?

Happy Friday.

Ashley