• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Hassle Free Vegan Baking
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Muffins and Breads

    Traditional Irish Brown Bread (Dairy Free)

    Published: Mar 28, 2023 · Modified: Oct 24, 2024 by Jen Cardenas

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This traditional Irish brown bread is made with whole grains and simple ingredients. It's a delicious quick bread that is nutritious and a great source of fiber. It's easy to make with no rising or kneading required!

    Brown bread with bite taken out.

    We eat a lot of bread in our house. For sandwiches, with soup, or as a snack, there's nothing like a fresh loaf of homemade bread. I much prefer making a quick bread so that the dough doesn't need to rise and you also don't have to knead it.

    While I make this whole what soda bread all year round, it's especially good for St. Patrick's day. For baked goods for St. Patrick's Day, try my Irish soda bread with raisins, Irish apple cake, matcha pancakes and green matcha cake with frosting.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How To Make Irish Brown Bread
    • Expert Tips
    • Storage and Recipe FAQs
    • Quick Bread Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • It's a quick bread: There's no rising and no kneading.
    • Hearty: This delicious bread of full of whole grains. It's perfect to have with a bowl of soup. It also makes a great sandwich bread.
    • Great for St. Patrick's Day: While we love this bread all year long, I always make sure I make it for St. Patrick's Day as well as it's based on a traditional Irish brown soda bread recipe.

    Ingredient Notes

    Ingredients: Flour, non-dairy milk, wheat bran, salt, apple cider vinegar, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, wheat germ, vegan butter.
    • Non-dairy milk - I prefer to use unsweetened soy milk but use your favorite variety. I would not use coconut milk or else your bread will taste coconutty.
    • Apple cider vinegar - You can also use lemon juice or white vinegar.
    • Vegan butter - My favorite vegan butter to use is Earth Balance. It comes in sticks as well as tub form so it's easier to measure.
    • Stone ground whole wheat flour - My favorite brand to use is Bob's Red Mill stone ground 100% whole wheat flour.

    How To Make Irish Brown Bread

    Step 1: To begin, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.

    Non-dairy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup.

    Step 2: Next, measure out the 2 cups of unsweetened plant-based milk in a large measuring cup. Mix in 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Set aside this milk mixture which will make a vegan version of buttermilk.

    Dry ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk.

    Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, add the whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, baking soda, 1 tablespoon of wheat bran, wheat germ, and sugar. Mix together with a whisk.

    Dry ingredients in a bowl with small pieces of vegan butter.

    Step 4: Cut the vegan butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Use your hands to make smaller, pea-sized pieces of vegan butter and incorporate them throughout the flour. You can also use a pastry cutter.

    Bread dough in a large glass bowl with a fork.

    Step 5: Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add in the vegan buttermilk you made in step 3. Use a fork to quickly mix up the dough. Do not over-work the dough or it will get too dense and tough.

    Spoonful of wheat bran over unbaked dough.

    Step 6: Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Leave it "rough" on top. You do not need to level it out. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of wheat bran over the top of the dough.

    Close up of baked bread.

    Step 7: Place the pan onto the hot baking tray in the preheated oven and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes.

    Loaf of bread on a cooling rack with serrated knife.

    Step 8: Take the finished bread out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Take the bread out of the pan and onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

    Loaf of bread on a cutting board with a knife with 2 slices cut.

    Slice, serve and enjoy. We love this bread with a little vegan butter spread on it.

    This easy vegan Irish soda bread recipe was adapted from a recipe from the cookbook: In An Irish Country Kitchen by Clare Connery.

    Expert Tips

    • Make sure you use a serrated knife to slice the bread so it doesn't crumble.
    • Do not over mix the dough or else it will get too dense.

    Storage and Recipe FAQs

    What's the best dairy free milk to use?

    My favorite is unsweetened soy milk. Unsweetened almond milk or oat milk would work well too. I wouldn't use coconut milk as it will give it too much of a coconut flavor.

    Does the dough need to rise?

    No. This is a quick bread, not a yeast bread, so there is no rising time needed.

    What is buttermilk?

    Buttermilk is basically a sour milk. This recipe uses a vegan version which is just a plant-based milk plus an acid like vinegar or lemon juice.

    How do I store this Irish brown bread?

    This bread is best the day it's made. You can store leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature for another 1-2 days at the most. I recommend heating it up before eating.

    Quick Bread Recipes

    • Slices of vegan pear banana bread.
      Easy Vegan Banana Bread With Pears
    • Vegan pumpkin bread on a cutting board.
      Easy Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Raisins (No Flax)
    • Loaf of Irish soda bread on a cooling rack.
      Easy Vegan Irish Soda Bread With Raisins (No Caraway Seeds)
    • Sliced vegan zucchini bread.
      Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

    If you tried this Dairy-free Irish Brown Bread Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!

    Special Thanks

    Special thanks to my friend Kate F. who introduced me to the original recipe. When I heard everyone raving about her bread, I knew I wanted to veganize it.

    Recipe

    Loaf of Irish brown bread cooling.

    Traditional Irish Brown Bread (Dairy Free)

    This traditional brown bread is flavorful and nutritious. It has a touch of sweetness and it perfect to eat any time with a bowl of soup or as part of a sandwich.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Bread
    Cuisine: American, Irish
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 15 slices
    Calories: 161kcal
    Author: Jen Cardenas

    Equipment

    • 7" cake pan
    • cooling rack

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
    • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 2 cups stone ground whole wheat flour
    • 1 cup all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon wheat bran, divided
    • 1 tablespoon wheat germ
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • 3 tablespoon vegan butter
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425° and place a baking sheet in the middle rack. Prepare a 7" round cake pan by spraying with nonstick oil spray.
    • Measure out the non-dairy milk in a large measuring cup. Add the apple cider vinegar, stir, and set aside. This will make vegan buttermilk.
    • In a large bowl, add the whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, baking soda, 1 tablespoon of wheat bran, wheat germ, and sugar. Mix together with a whisk.
    • Cut the vegan butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Use your hands to break down the vegan butter to pieces no larger than a pea. Make sure they are well incorporated.
    • Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour in the vegan buttermilk. Use a fork to quickly mix up the dough making sure you don't over mix.
    • Spoon the bread dough into the prepared pan leaving it "rough" on top. No need to flatten it out. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of wheat bran over the top.
    • Place the pan on the baking sheet in the 425° oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400° and bake for an additional 40 minutes.
    • Take the bread out of the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
    • This bread is best the day it's made. You can store leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature for another 1-2 days.

    Notes

    • Make sure you use a serrated knife to slice the bread.
    • Do not over mix the dough or else it will get too dense.
    • I like to use Bob's Red Mill stone ground 100% whole wheat flour.
    • My favorite vegan butter to use is Earth Balance.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 369mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jen says

      April 08, 2023 at 1:50 pm

      5 stars
      It's hard to believe this healthy bread tastes so good. I love that it uses whole grains as I’m always trying to get my kids to eat more fiber.

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Jen! I love all things vegan, especially baking. I'm a food blogger, recipe developer, and mom of three. My goal is to show how delicious vegan baking can be.

    More about me →

    Summer Recipes

    • A slice of peach mango pie on a plate with a scoop of ice cream, an orange napkin, and the pie plate.
      Vegan Peach Mango Pie
    • Strawberry chocolate chip cupcake with chocolate bits on top.
      Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
    • Sliced vegan zucchini bread.
      Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
    • 3 muffins on a plate, one with a bite taken out of it, with chocolate chips.
      Vegan Sweet Spinach Muffins
    • A s'more brownie with toasted marshmallows and 2 other brownies and mini marshmallows near it.
      Easy Vegan S'mores Brownies
    • Muffin with bite taken out and lemon and strawberry in background.
      Vegan Strawberry Lemon Muffins

    Popular Recipes

    • Slices of vegan pear banana bread.
      Easy Vegan Banana Bread With Pears
    • Muffin in halves on a plate with other muffins.
      Grape Nuts Muffins With Cranberries (Vegan)
    • Bowl of apple crisp.
      Simple Vegan Apple Crisp (No Oil)
    • Bowl of mango cobbler.
      Easy Vegan Cobbler with Mango

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    About Us

    Privacy Policy

    Accessibility

    Contact

    Contact

    Sign Up! For Our Newsletter

    Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.