Irish Cheddar, Apple and Walnut Soda Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A delicious twist on traditional Irish Soda Bread for St Patrick’s Day. Enjoy a slice fresh out of the oven, thickly spread with butter, or as an interesting accompaniment to homemade soup.
Ingredients
- 500g plain flour
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 75g mature cheddar cheese, diced
- 75g apple, diced
- 75g walnuts, chopped
- Approx 400ml buttermilk
- A little milk, if necessary
- 25g mature cheddar cheese, grated (to sprinkle on the top before baking)
Instructions
- Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl and stir in the salt.
- Add the diced cheddar and apple and the chopped walnuts. Give them a mix to make sure they are evenly distributed.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, stirring as you go. If necessary, add a tbsp or two of milk to bring the mixture together; it should form a soft dough, just this side of sticky.
- Tip it out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for about a minute, just long enough to pull it together into a loose ball but no longer – you need to get it into the oven while the bicarbonate of soda is still doing its stuff. You’re not looking for the kind of smooth, elastic dough you’d get with a yeast-based bread.
- Put the round of dough on a lightly floured baking sheet and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.
- Mark a deep cross in it with a sharp, serrated knife, cutting about two-thirds of the way through the loaf. Put it in an oven preheated to 200°C and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
- Cool on a wire rack if you like a crunchy crust, or wrap in a clean tea towel if you prefer a soft crust. Soda bread is best eaten while still warm, generously buttered, and great as an accompaniment to soup. If you have some left over the next day, it makes fantastic cheese on toast.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 280
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the recipe say to knead the dough for only about a minute?
The instructions explain that you need to get the dough into the oven while the bicarbonate of soda is still active. Over-kneading develops gluten and delays baking, which lets the leavening power dissipate — you want a loose ball rather than the smooth, elastic dough you’d get with a yeast bread.
How do I know when the bread is done?
Bake at 200°C for 40–45 minutes, then tap the bottom — the loaf is done when it sounds hollow underneath. The recipe also finishes with a sprinkle of the extra 25g of grated cheddar on top before baking for a golden crust.
Does it matter whether I cool it on a rack or wrap it in a towel?
Yes — the instructions say to cool on a wire rack if you want a crunchy crust, or wrap in a clean tea towel if you prefer a soft crust. Either way, the bread is best eaten while still warm and buttered, and any leftovers make excellent cheese on toast the next day. 
Isn’t this Rory O’Connell’s recipe?
I love people who shares and inspires other to eat and drink healthy. I go youtube and different website for recipes. Thank you for this new recipe. I am going to try this.