What a perfect day to share this easy cheesy & chive soda bread recipe, happy St. Patricks Day everybody! Soda bread is a traditional Irish bread that dates back centuries ago that is typically served with most meals. Its name comes from the basic core ingredients- flour, baking soda, salt, egg, and buttermilk. The term ‘soda’ coming from baking soda of course, which was initially used as the leavening agent instead of traditional yeast. Soda bread was often deemed as the ‘poor mans bread’ because it used sour milk and basic ingredients instead of lavish yeast and flavorful bread combinations.
Funny how things have come full circle and today we intentionally seek out simpler recipes, fewer ingredients, and quality products. finding bread in the local supermarket with five ingredients is nearly impossible unless you have a local bakery around the corner. I love quick bread, especially one I can throw together before dinner that tastes amazing and doesn’t come with a million ingredients, additives, or preservatives.
After hearing so much about soda bread this year, I was curious to try my hand at making some, especially given the time of year near St. Patricks Day. My first trial run turned out a bit dry in taste and didn’t rise too well, however this newly adapted recipe really knocked it out of the water. It’s savory in taste, moist in texture, and pairs well with just about anything I’m serving up.
If you’re looking for an easy go-to bread recipe that goes with just about any meal, this is one to book mark. The total amount of prep work in the kitchen is about 20 minutes and bake time is 25 minutes. Making this bread fresh for a dinner meal is a great option and such an easy task considering it takes less time to whip up than most scratch biscuits. Not to mention it doesn’t use butter like traditional biscuits do. Because soda bread is a quick bread and doesn’t contain any preservatives it’s best served the same day as baked. However, I recommend to cover and store in the refrigerator should you have any leftovers.
Download or Print the Recipe
Easy Cheesy & Chive Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus some extra for sprinkling on top
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp crushed dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup buttermilk *can also use 1 cup whole milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
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Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a small cast iron skillet or non stick pan.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, black pepper, rosemary, and chives. Whisk together well. Fold in the cheddar cheese.
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In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1 egg and the buttermilk. Add the milk to the flour and combine well. Dough will be slightly sticky.
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Roll the dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface allowing the flour to cover the dough ball.
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Place the dough ball on the prepared cast iron skillet (or non-stick pan). Using a knife, slice a large X in the dough. Whisk together the second egg. Using a cooking brush, brush the whisked egg all over the dough ball and sprinkle a dash of salt on top.
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Bake for 25 minutes, top should be golden brown when done. Allow to cool for ~10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
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This recipe is an original Healthy Chew recipe, all rights reserved.
All photos used were taken by and for The Healthy Chew, all rights reserved.
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