Rosemary Cheddar Irish Soda Bread

Cooking up an Irish stew or corned beef and cabbage this St. Patrick’s Day? Serve it up with a healthy portion of delicious Rosemary Cheddar Irish Soda Bread.

Last week I shared a delicious recipe for Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage. It tasted delicious, but what really rounded out the meal was a sweet kale salad and some Irish Soda Bread. Today I am sharing a quick and easy recipe for Rosemary Cheddar Irish Soda Bread.

Rosemary Cheddar Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is a deliciously crumbly sweet bread that’s mixed up in minutes. It’s similar to corn bread and tastes great with soup or a traditional meat and potatoes style meal. I’ve made the basic recipe several times, but this go around I mixed things up a bit by adding in a few additional ingredients (rosemary and cheddar cheese).

I am a big fan of rosemary in small doses. Rather than filling the bread with rosemary, I simply sprinkled a bit across the top of the dough before baking. As the bread bakes up in the oven, the flavorful aroma permeates the entire loaf. If you’re a fan of a more intense flavor, you may want to add it throughout.

Cheese on the other hand…I am an over-cheeser. I’ll add as much cheese as a recipe will allow. In the case of this loaf, I shredded up a bit (okay, half a cup) of mild cheddar and needed it into the dough. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious.

The key to a great loaf of Irish Soda Bread is babysitting it while in the oven. Every 15 minutes, open up the oven and brush the bread with butter and buttermilk. It keeps the bread soft and sweet. Yum!

Rosemary Cheddar Irish Soda Bread

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Ingredients

  

• 4 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter unsalted
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 spring rosemary diced
• 1/2 cup mild cheddar

Instructions

 

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease baking sheet or cast iron pan.
• 2. Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• 3. Add 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 cup buttermilk and egg to the dry ingredients.
• 4. Flour work surface and knead dough. Work cheddar cheese into the bread while kneading.
• 5. Shape dough into a round shape and place on prepared pan.
• 6. Whisk together 1/4 cup of melted butter and remaining buttermilk. Brush top of loaf with mixture.
• 7. Sprinkle rosemary bits over the top of the bread.
• 8. Cut a large "x" into the top of the loaf.
• 9. Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Check the bread every 15 minutes and brush with the butter/buttermilk mixture until done.

Though the taste of this bread is divine, perhaps my favorite feature is the perfectly round giftable shape. I can’t wait to cook up a loaf of Rosemary Cheddar Irish Soda Bread to share with a friend.