Gluten-free, egg-free Irish soda bread

Adapted from this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

250 grams all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used King Arthur)

125 grams garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup sugar (if you're making it sweet)

1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick = 8 Tbsp.) cold, unsalted butter
2/3 cup currants or raisins
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

6 tablespoons water

For brushing on loaf:
1 Tbsp. melted butter

METHOD:

Mix the ground flax seeds and water and set aside for 10 minutes. If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by putting a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in an 8-ounce container and filling it the rest of the way with milk. Set this aside for about 10 minutes, too. 

Preheat your oven to 375F. Blend all the dry ingredients. Break the butter into small pieces and put it into the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the dough with your hands or a pastry cutter. 

Mix in the flax meal/water mixture and the buttermilk. Add the currants or raisins and mix them in. (You can use other kinds of dried fruit instead, if you like, or omit the sugar and use savory ingredients -- for example, a few chopped scallions and a few ounces of grated cheese). The mixture should form a dough. If it's too dry, add a little water. If it's too wet, add a little flour. 

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Form the dough into a round loaf and place it on the parchment. Cut a cross shape into the top, and brush the top with the melted butter. 

Put the loaf into the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking the loaf regularly to make sure it doesn't overbake. It's done when the bottom is crusty, the top is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom. 

Let it cool completely before cutting. 

Note: the original recipe calls for xanthan gum (Since xanthan gum sometimes irritates my stomach, I used flax + water instead, both as a substitute for the gum and for one egg). This loaf will come out somewhat flat if you follow the recipe above. Xanthan gum may yield a taller loaf. Experiment and see!