Cheese and Onion Soda Bread
Soda bread is an iconic Irish bread that is most famously attributed to Ireland, but it is said it was first created by Native Americans. They were the first to be documented using pearl ash, a natural soda, formed from the ashes of wood, to give rise to bread without yeast.
That said, when soda bread is mentioned I immediately think of Ireland. During the Irish famine in 1845, soda bread became a staple food. The process was quick, simple and the ingredients were cheap, so it is no surprise it became a popular choice. Everyone could make it at home using a pot and the fire, there was no need to have an oven. This is where the distinctive rounded loaf shape came from that is associated with soda bread today.
Baker’s Turn their Noses Up
Soda bread was looked down upon by many professional bakery businesses in Ireland. It was almost impossible to get soda bread made from a bakery in the 19th and early 20th century because they were sworn by yeasted breads. Today, soda bread is popular with home bakers and commercial bakers alike, and rightly so. This recipe in particular is just as delicious as any loaf of yeasted bread I have eaten and I have paid top money for really good quality sourdough at the bakery many of times.
Modern Spins
Modern versions of soda bread like this easy soda bread recipe, can be found in many Irish cafes and bakeries. some made with Guinness, treacle, walnuts and herbs, but the sweetened version made with caraway and raisins is rarely seen anymore. Soda breads are made using wholemeal flour, white flour, or both.
Regional Differences
In Ulster, the wholemeal variety is usually known as wheaten bread and is normally sweetened, while the term “soda bread” is restricted to the white savoury form.
In the southern provinces of Ireland, the wholemeal variety is usually known as brown bread and is almost identical to the Ulster wheaten.
In some parts of Fermanagh, the white flour form of the bread is described as fadge.
The “griddle cakes”, “griddle bread” (or soda farls in Ulster) take a more rounded shape and have a cross cut into the top to allow the bread to expand, similar to this recipe. The griddle cake or farl is a more flattened type of bread. It is cooked on a griddle, allowing it to take a more flat shape, and it is split into four sections. The soda farl is one of the distinguishing elements of the Ulster fry, where it is served alongside potato bread, also in a farl form.
These dishes are similar to the full English breakfast, the Scottish full breakfast, and the Welsh breakfast, where there are only a few slight changes to the dishes. Whichever variation you may come across, each one loads you up for the day ahead and maybe in time, I will cover each one in separate recipe posts.
So how does it rise without yeast?
Yeasted bread, works its magic by feeding on the sugars in flour, and releases the carbon dioxide that makes bread rise (although at a much slower rate than baking powder or soda). Yet with soda bread, the buttermilk contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form bubbles of carbon dioxide and doesn’t require time to rest. It would be counter productive to the soda bread to leave it like you would with a yeasted loaf of bread because the bubbles of carbon dioxide will fizzle off, and your dough wouldn’t rise up when it is baked. The bread doesn’t rise as tall as a yeasted bread load but it does so enough to provide a quick and reliable option for some tasty bread at the table for your meal.
Cheese and Onion Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 500 g Strong White Bread Flour Plus extra for dusting
- 1½ tsp Sea Salt
- 300 ml Buttermilk
- 75 g Butter Softened
- 20 g Baking Soda
- 1 Onion Peeled and finely chopped.
- 75 g Cheddar Cheese Grated
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220℃/425℉/G6.
- Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Mix all the ingredients together. (don't overmix. You just want to bring all the dough together as one).
- Divide the dough into two pieces and tip out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Shape each piece into a ball, then flatten each with your hand so they are approximately 5cm/2inches thick and cut a deep cross into each one.
- Dust with a little flour and put on the baking tray.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until it is golden, and then serve warm.