Soda bread is a bread that is made without yeast, therefore it requires no kneading or proving. Instead the bread rises from the reaction between bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk. I’ve added extra flavour to create this Cheese & Caramelised Onion Soda Bread recipe which is so easy to make! If you want homemade bread but you’re worried about the bread not rising, or you’re just short on time, then soda bread is the ideal solution. It’s so quick to make and this version is flavoured with delicious tangy and sweet caramelised onion and salty cheese, perfectly for slathering in butter!
Step by step…
I started by cooking the onion in olive oil. When it was soft I added balsamic vinegar and soft light brown sugar. I let it simmer for around 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.
In a bowl I sieved out plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Then I mixed the cheese and onion into the flour.
Next I added the buttermilk to the flour and brought it together to make a dough. I shaped it into a ball and cut a cross down the middle, then I topped it with some extra cheese. I baked it for 35 minutes until it was golden.
The Cheese & Caramelised Onion Soda Bread was beautifully risen and golden, and smelt amazing!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
| Baking trays | Mixing bowls | Cooling rack |
| Kitchen scales | Cheese grater |
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This Cheese & Caramelised Onion Soda Bread is perfect for dunking in a warm bowl of soup!
More Cheesey recipes…
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| Veggie Sausage, Cheese & Onion Muffins | Potato & Halloumi Focaccia | Cheese & Red Pepper Muffins |
Ingredients
For the bread
- 1 White onion diced
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Light brown sugar
- 450 g Plain flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 300 ml Buttermilk or milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 75 g Mature cheddar cheese grated
For topping
- 25 g Mature cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
- Cook the white onion in the olive oil. When it is soft add the balsamic vinegar and light brown sugar. Let it simmer for around 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool
- Sieve the plain flour into a bowl and add the bicarbonate of soda and salt
- Mix the cheese and the onion into the flour
- Add the buttermilk to the flour and bring it together to make a dough. Work it as little as needed. Shape it into a ball on a baking tray dusted with flour and cut a cross down in the centre, cut almost to the bottom. Top with the extra cheese
- Bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes. When it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom it's done
- Cool on a rack, you can eat it warm or wait till it cools, store in an airtight container and eat within 3 days
If you like this, check out more of my Bread recipes!
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Yours looks really good and I think I will have to give it a go now.
It was very delicious!!
That looks stunning Kat – great use of flavours too!
Thanks Stuart!
Some delicious flavours in your bread too! Yum!
Thank you!
My instincts for baking bread are pretty much non-existent, so when I attempted this recipe I wasn’t surprised by the bad result:(.
The “dough” was so wet and sticky, I couldn’t shape it into anything but a big blob, so I added more flour. Evidently, I messed up the measurement conversion of the buttermilk – I added 1 1/3 cup instead of 1 1/2. I baked it at 350 F for 40 minutes, put foil over top and baked it for another 25 minutes. It was pretty much raw inside and burned on the bottom.
I was soooo hoping I’d get lucky – major fail!
Hi Traci, I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for you! Cup measurements are so unreliable, so I always recommend using scales then you can be 100% accurate. I hope you give this another go, as it’s a really easy bread to make and it’s super yummy too! Please don’t let one mistake ruin your confidence with bread. (I’ve made so many errors in my time!)
? I added 1/13 cups instead of 1 1/4***
I have made this soda bread twice now and my family and I love it. So easy and so tasty. The only trouble is, it doesn’t last long!!
I made this recipe at the weekend , so easy and delicious and disappeared very fast. Thank you Kat!
You are very welcome Joanie, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the bread!
So yummy (and easy)! Perfect with a bowl of soup! Thank you so much xx
Thank you Sarah!
Just made this.. my first ever attempt at a savoury bread and it turned out AMAZING. And my parents who previously didnt like soda bread LOVED this one! Thanks so much!
Thanks Cody, I’m so glad you all enjoyed the bread!
Could I use a red onion instead?
Yes Kim, you can absoutely use a red onion. In fact someone on instagram did and said it worked well! 🙂
This looks amazing..definitely will be trying it. I’ve always thought soda bread needed a mixture of wholemeal and plain flour ?. Clearly I was wrong.
If I wanted to change it up and make a jalapeno cheese bread, what would the ratios be? Many thanks. Kiran (stay safe)
You can use a mix of flours if you like, but plain only is ok too! If you want to add jalapenos I would suggest 30-40g chopped up. I hope that helps!
Delicious! I will make this again as it was so quick & easy for something so tasty. Thanks, Kat!
Really easy recipe to follow and it made a stunning loaf of bread. I did not have buttermilk so I used the milk and lemon juice, and had no issues. There was a comment up above about using red onion, and I can confirm that I did, and it worked just as well.
Thank you,
Mike
I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread Mike! I really must try it myself with red onion 😀
First time making soda bread and this recipe worked a dream! Fantastic flavour, was eaten in no time, the family loved it! Definitely one to make again!
Thank you so much Angela, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the soda bread!
What a good recipe, thank you. I made this last night to go with chowder and am having it again for breakfast. So tasty! Especially as I find it hard to get soda bread right – a lot of recipes seem to come out too wet for me but this cooked right through in the right time and it’s delicious x
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I have made this so many times as it is a firm family favourite!