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Whenever we have soup I need toppings or a good bread to go with it. This Garlic Cheddar Herb Irish Soda Bread is perfect for sopping up stew in the winter or on St Patrick’s Day!
If you are someone who gets intimidated by working with yeast, then this is the recipe for you! There’s no yeast, no rising, no waiting…and you still get a fluffy, flavorful loaf of bread. It is as easy as making a cake. Just mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and bake!
You have a fresh beautiful loaf of bread in less than an hour!
The garlic and cheddar are an impeccable combination (they always are!) and the fresh herbs add bursts of flavor in every single bite.
Why is it Called Irish Soda Bread?
Soda bread is a type of quick bread that uses sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) as the leavening agent rather than yeast. Traditional soda bread has four standard ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Buttermilk contains lactic acid that reacts with the baking soda to form little bubbles of carbon dioxide that gives the finished bread its fluffiness.
I’m not sure what makes it Irish, other than that it’s the most popular name for it. Soda bread is popular in many European countries as well as here in America. In fact, Native Americans have been using this type of bread leavening for hundreds of years.
So Versatile
So I just mentioned how soda bread starts with 4 basic ingredients. From there, all sorts of different things can be added. You can add butter, raisins, nuts, cheese, herbs, or even chocolate chips. This is one of the reasons I love it! You can make it almost anything you want! Sweet or savory! Simple or loaded with goodness! For this version, we use cheddar cheese and herbs. If you want to try something else delicious, try adding sun dried tomatoes, Asiago cheese, and fresh basil! It’s like a caprese-esque dream!
Why the Cross on Top?
It is tradition for a cross to be cut in the top of the dough with a knife before baking it. There are legends and symbolism that explain this tradition. People believed it would ward off the devil and protect a household, and the cross is also a symbol of a blessing or giving thanks.
However, there is also a practical reason for the cross. Slashing the dough lets heat penetrate deeper in to the thickest part of the bread and allows the bread to stretch and expand as it rises.
Less than an Hour Bread
Let me just briefly review how this bread comes together. You start by whisking all the dry ingredients together – flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar. Then you add the cheese and herbs. For this loaf, I grated the cheese, but if you want to try something fun, cube the cheese into half inch cubes. Then you will have little pockets of cheese throughout the loaf.
Break the butter up into the flour using your fingers and work it into the flour until the mixture become grainy. Create a well in the middle of your dry ingredients and add your wet ingredients – egg and buttermilk. I always use a wooden spoon to stir dough together, and then I switch to using my hands until the dough forms a ball.
Then butter whatever vessel you want to bake your bread in, cut your cross in the top, and bake! When it is done baking, I like to sprinkle it with a little kosher salt. Slice and serve warm!
How Do I Know When Soda Bread is Done?
Your bread will be nice and golden on top. When you tap it on the top, it will sound hollow inside.
Can Irish Soda Bread be Frozen?
Irish soda bread can definitely be frozen! After baking it, make sure it cools completely to room temperature, then wrap it in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. It will last for up to a week in the freezer.
More BREAD SIDES You’ll Love:
- Homemade Baguette
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- Homemade Naan
- Best Potato Rolls
- Easy No Knead Artisan Bread
- Feta Muffins
- One Hour Rolls
- 7-Up Biscuits
- Whole Wheat Potato Rolls
- Sweet Potato Rolls
- Herbed Focaccia Bread
- Cheesy Ranch Rolls
- All our BREAD RECIPES here!
Irish Soda Bread Video Tutorial
Garlic Cheddar Herb Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Flour, plus 2 Tablespoons
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 2/3 Cup Cheese, shredded, sharp
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Rosemary, fresh, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon Thyme, fresh, or 1/2 Teaspoon dried
- 4 Tablespoons Butter, cold
- 1 Egg, large, whisked
- 1 3/4 Cup Buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and sugar.4 Cups Flour, 1 1/4 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Add the cheese, garlic and herbs and toss to coat.2/3 Cup Cheese, 2 Cloves Garlic, 1 teaspoon Rosemary, 1 teaspoon Thyme
- Break the butter up into the flour and using your hands, pinch and mix the flour in until it resembles a grainy texture.4 Tablespoons Butter
- Make a well in the center and add the egg and buttermilk.1 Egg, 1 3/4 Cup Buttermilk
- Use a wooden spoon to stir it together then switch to your hands and knead the dough gently just until it forms a ball.
- Butter a skillet, dutch oven or cookie sheet and place the dough on top.
- Use a knife to cut a cross in the dough, only about 1/2″ deep and then bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot and fresh.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This sounds easy enough that even I (a novice baker) mjght be able to make it. I want to add cinnamon and raisins. Could you suggest amounts for those two ingredients. Thanks
Hi Rosalie! You could totally make this cinnamon and raisins (I’m hoping and assuming you are not going to do the cheddar and garlic). I would add a cup of raisins and probably a two teaspoons of cinnamon, depending on how cinnamon-y you want it.
This bread is wonderful! I made it with whole wheat flour, so I just did the 4 cups (not the 2tblspns) of flour and doubled the sugar and salt. Mine took longer to cook through, and the bottom got overly-crusty, so I might make 2 loaves next time or reduce the heat to 400? Regardless it was delish and easy with great texture.
Hi Kim! Yes, you could divide into two loaves or move your rack up a notch in the oven so it’s farther from the bottom. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! If you go with 2 loaves, you’ll definitely decreased the bake time. So keep an eye on it!
Is there a GF version by chance?
I haven’t experimented with a GF version of this one yet. Though you should just be able to swap the flour for your favorite GF flour blend.
Made this to go with our St Patrick’s Day dinner. Easy and turned out super yummy!
Yay! Thank you so much for the feedback, Ann! Love to hear it!
This was so easy and came out perfect…delicious!
I cooked it in a 12″ cast iron skillet.
About halfway through the cooking time, it was browned enough for my liking so loosely covered with foil for remainder of the cooking time.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this Dawn!! Thank you for the feedback!
The herbs are fantastic in this, but the flavor of the cheese is barely there. Next time, I would put in a full 8oz of grated cheese.
I would never argue with more cheese! Thank you for the feedback Kathy!
Can you use mozzarella cheese?
Hi Sandra! Yes, you can use any type of cheese you want!
I am excitedly waiting for my first recipe from your website to come out of the oven! I feel like I’ve stumbled across a beautiful recipe book and I get to take it home for free. Have to make some adjustments to ingredients as I live overseas so we shall see….
Oh my! I am delighted with the result. 40 mins exactly in my very hot oven.
Yay!! So glad to hear it!
How did it go?? Thank you for the support!
We loved this! Great flavor and so easy to make. The fresh herbs infused the bread with so much flavor. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Yes! The fresh herbs are what take it over the top! Thank you for taking time to leave comment!
Okay this was SOOOOOOOO GOOD… BUT. It was nowhere near done at 40 minutes. It was doughy all throughout the middle of the loaf. Should I make two loaves instead? When you make it, is it really cooked all the way through in 40 minutes? I ended up tearing it open and then cooking it sort of in pieces to make sure it was all done because I was worried it would burn if I kept cooking it as a loaf.
Yes, in our oven it is done at 40 minutes, but a friend of mind said hers wasn’t done until around 55 minutes. You’ll want to tap on the top and make sure it sounds hollow. Every oven bakes differently, and it really seems to show in this recipe. So glad you enjoyed it!
Hey, Can this recipe be cut in half without losing all its wonderful properties? We love soda bread but the large loaves are more than we can eat. Maybe we will need to freeze half if not. Thank you.
I would definitely recommend freezing the other half. It tastes great after being frozen and allowing it to thaw. It reheats well! It’s a tough recipe to half because of the single egg.
Just wanted to update that the bread is delicious! I didn’t add the rosemary due to not having but the thyme and garlic were plenty. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Yay! Thanks so much Jane! This bread is so versatile, you can add just about anything. We’ve done sun dried tomatoes, asiago cheese and basil, and it was so good! Or just rosemary with some sea salt sprinkled on top…delicious!
How much garlic? Chopped, grated or powder??
Hi Kathleen! It is two cloves of fresh garlic minced and it gets added with the herbs. I’m fixing the recipe card now! Thank you for letting us know!