A classic Irish quick bread but with a very cheesy and savory twist.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread in the United States tends to be a sweeter bread affair. The loaves are typically loaded with lots of sugar and dried fruit such as currants or even raisins. Now there is nothing wrong with these sweetened quick breads, it’s just that they are usually limited to breakfast or a sweet treat. Personally, I like to have bread that can do it all. I wanted something that you can easily have with your morning coffee as well as that beautiful lamb stew that you spent all day preparing. By making it savory, I was able to change the traditional dynamic of this loaf. I made it in a way that could be enjoyed throughout the day and not during specific meals. It’s definitely a quick bread with some serious multi-tasking power. 

Cheddar and Onion Irish Soda Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour or Irish flour

⅓ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

⅓ cup dried minced onion

4 oz. sharp cheddar, grated

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter

1 ½  cup cold buttermilk or more in needed

Preheat the oven to 375˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment. 

In a large bowl, mix to combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, minced onion, grated cheddar (leave about a ¼ of it for the top) and salt. 

With a box grater, grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients and rub the butter into it. This step is very similar to making biscuits or scones and you want the flour’s texture to be the same texture of corn meal. 

Add the cold buttermilk and mix until a shaggy dough forms. If the mixture seems too dry you can add a bit more buttermilk in until the dough forms. I will typically add a tablespoon of buttermilk in at a time if it’s too dry. You don’t want the mixture to become too wet. You want the dough to be wet enough to clump together and form a shaggy loaf but not so wet that it’s a sticky mess. 

Once you get the dough to the right consistency, form it into a ball and flatten it slightly. Place the dough on your prepared baking sheet and with a very sharp knife cut an X or cross into the loaf. The scoring of the loaf has some interesting lore as well as having some history behind the creation of this classic loaf. In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I would definitely recommend the read!

Brush the loaf with milk and top with rest of grated cheese. Bake the bread for 50-60 minutes or until the loaf is a deep golden brown and the center comes clean when tested with a skewer. 

When the loaf is completely baked, cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Serve with a generous amount of salted butter and enjoy!

*Notes: For this recipe, I recommend using a good quality cheddar. I typically use this sharp Rustic Red but Kerrygold also has a nice array of white cheddars as well. 

When choosing your butter to accompany your Irish Soda Bread please don’t go with your standard butter. Choose a butter with a higher fat content such as Kerrygold grass fed butter or any European style butter. These butters are very rich and will enhance your Irish Soda Bread. Trust me the butter matters!

When mixing your dough and shaping the loaf, take care not to overwork the dough. You want the dough to be a bit shaggy and rough around the edges. It is meant to be a rustic style loaf.