Last updated on August 23rd, 2025
This Irish Soda Bread with Aged Cheddar is one of the easiest quick breads you will ever make. Made with lots of melty, sharp cheddar cheese, it’s delicious served fresh from the oven with lots of butter or alongside hearty soups and stews for dipping!
What is Irish soda bread?
Irish soda bread is a yeast-free quick bread that gets it’s rise from baking soda and buttermilk. The result is a light, crusty loaf that you can have it baked up for lunch in an hour.
Here’s everything you’ll need to make it
- 3 cups (390 g) bread flour
- 1½ teaspoons (9 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) cold butter
- 1¼ cups (295 g) buttermilk
- 1 to 1½ cups (190 g) freshly grated aged cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon (3 g) fresh rosemary, finely chopped (optional)
This easy Irish soda bread recipe requires just 10 minutes of hands-on prep time. Simply stir together flour, baking soda, salt & pepper, butter, buttermilk and cheddar and it emerges from the oven with the perfect crumb. No yeast or rise time required.
Do I need a cast iron skillet?
Not at all, you can bake it in any oven-safe baking dish or even a Dutch oven, uncovered to allow air to circulate.
This savoury Irish Soda Bread with Aged Cheddar recipe can be adapted easily to include your add-ins of choice. Try it with fresh herbs (rosemary is delicious!), chopped jalapeños, your favourite cheese or seeds or toasted with preserves for a deliciously sweet and savoury combo!
For a sweeter take on Irish soda bread try this Soft & Sweet Irish Soda Bread with cranberries and raisins!
Try this No-Knead Cheddar Jalapeño Artisan Bread or this Rosemary Parmesan Artisan Bread next.
If you make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see!
And of course, feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews. This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you!
Irish Soda Bread with Aged Cheddar
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
- 1¼ cups buttermilk see note to make your own
- 1 to 1½ cups freshly grated aged cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF (205ºC) and prepare parchment-lined 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and pepper. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour then toss everything together with your hands until the pieces are evenly distributed.
- Pour in buttermilk and stir or mix by hand just until ingredients start to come together. Fold in cheddar and keep turning the dough until it starts to look a little sticky and stringy.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and use floured hands to shape it into a ball. Score the top of the loaf with an ‘X’ to allow even heat distribution.
- Transfer to skillet and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and it sounds hollow when you tap on the top. Remove from oven, transfer to wire cooling rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
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