ajoyouskitchen

Cheddar & Jalapeno Irish Soda Bread

I usually have a decent reason for why I wanted to make something – either I had it before and wanted it again, or wanted to make it better than the first time. This one, there’s no good story. I saw a post on instagram of Irish Soda Bread and figured I mind as well give it a try!

I don’t think you can go wrong with cheese and jalapeno in any format, but especially in bread! I love a good cheesy bread (shoutout to Wegmans for making an AMAZING one that I eat way too often) and adding a bit of spice makes it perfect.

Now, this doesn’t look like a traditional Irish Soda Bread. I typically think of them of beign really heavy and that isn’t what I want when I’m breaking into some bread. So, I chose to add a fair bit of leaveners and didn’t make the dough too thick. It’s pretty sticky and looser than a lot of Irish Soda Bread recipes, so even if you do make those traditional cuts in the loaf they won’t be distinct by the time the loaf comes out of the oven.

I think these are fair tradeoffs for a delicious, light, flavorful loaf that is so quick to make! If yeast makes you nervous or you just don’t feel like dealing with it but want some homemade bread, this is the perfect place to start.

Cheddar Jalapeno Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cup (300 g) flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4-5 cranks freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 oz cheddar
  • 2 small or 1 large jalapenos
  • 4 Tbsp butter, cold
  • 1 1/4 cup (280g) buttermilk
  • 1 egg

How to do it

  1. prep: preheat the oven to 425* and butter a cast iron skillet or round cake pan. grate the cheddar and mince the jalapenos (with or without the seeds, depending on preference) and set aside
  2. combine the dry ingredients: in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  3. combine the wet ingredients: in a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and egg. set aside
  4. bring it all together: cut the butter into small pieces and work into the dry ingredients with two forks until the butter pieces are no bigger than peas. add the cheese and jalapenos and combine. pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined
  5. bake: transfer the mix into the prepared pan and smooth the top. bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean
  6. let cool and enjoy!

Leave a Reply