Cheese Soda Bread

This is a variation of my classic Irish Soda Bread, a little jazzier and possibly it’s slightly posher brother! It’s ideal if you want something different for a dinner party or to impress a member of the opposite sex with your culinary skills during an intimate little soiree…

It’s also good to just make and eat yourself!

• 260 gm Strong White Flour
• 80 gm Strong Wholemeal Flour
• 1 tsp  bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 290 ml Buttermilk
• 125 gms of  fresh Parmesan, finely grated.
• 1/2 tsp English Mustard powder
• 5 or 6 sprigs fresh rosemary

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C (400F/Gas Mark 6).
2. Mix the  flours, bicarbonate of soda, salt and mustard powder together in a bowl.
3. Sprinkle in the cheese and mix, sometimes I find doing this a bit at a time help to ensure the cheese is evenly distributed.
4. Make a well in the ingredients, pour in the buttermilk and combine to make a dough.
5. Pop the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently kneed for a few minutes, then make a round shape.
6. Carefully lift the dough and put on to a lightly floured oven sheet. Cut the recognisable cross onto the top, decorate with the rosemary sprigs and pop it in the oven.
7. After 30 mins, when the beard is golden, test to check if it’s cooked by tapping the base. It should sound hollow.
8. Cool on a wire rack.

Once it’s cool cut into thick slices, add butter or spread and dunk into a rich and hearty home-made tomato soup.

I’ve used Cheddar instead of Parmesan before, however I needed to use a food processor to break the cheese up and distribute it thru the dry ingredients.