Don’t get me wrong, I love corned beef and cabbage but one of my favorite Irish treats is soda bread. Soda bread is a “quick bread” that uses baking soda instead of yeast. It’s very rustic bread that has an amazing flavor due in part to the dried fruit and buttermilk. The variation I’ve been making lately uses almond flour for a low carb twist. Baking the bread in the Bull Gas Pizza Oven makes for a truly authentic experience.
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour (sifted)
- ¾ cup xanthan gum or arrowroot
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp caraway seeds
- 1 cup dried fruit
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. water divided
- 1 large egg white
Instructions
- Preheat your Bull Pizza Oven to 375°F for about 30 minutes with the door and chimney closed. Grease a 10 inch cast iron pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt, caraway seeds, and dried fruit. In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs, agave, buttermilk, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon water. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until you have a thick dough.
- Wet your hands with olive oil or water and pour the dough into the pan. Shape the dough gently with your wet hands into a pretty round loaf that is about 1.5 inches thick. Using a very sharp, serrated knife, gently slice a cross into the top of the loaf.
- In a small bowl, beat egg white with 1 tablespoon warm water. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with the egg white mixture. Turn off the Bull Pizza Oven and bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Monitor the cooking process but it may be necessary to cover the bread at the halfway mark.
- Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
