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!
How to make Cheese & Caramelised Onion Soda Bread
Start by cooking the onion in olive oil. When it is soft, add balsamic vinegar and soft light brown sugar. Let it simmer for around 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, sieve plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and stir together. Then mix the cheese and onion into the flour.
Next, add the buttermilk to the flour and bring it together to make a dough. Shape it into a ball and cut a deep cross down the middle, then top it with some extra cheese. Bake it for 35 minutes until golden, risen and smells amazing!
What is the best cheese to use?
The best cheese to use for this recipe is cheddar. I like to use a mature cheddar for a good strong flavour. Any hard cheese you can grate, and that melts well, can also be used.
What if you don't have any buttermilk?
You can make an easy buttermilk alternative at home using milk and either lemon juice or cider vinegar. To make the homemade buttermilk, measure out the same amount of milk as the recipe requires of buttermilk. Then add either 1 tablespoon (a proper measuring spoon, not the kind you eat cereal with) of either fresh lemon juice or cider vinegar to the milk. You can also use white vinegar, but avoid malt vinegar or balsamic vinegar. Stir them together then set aside for 5 minutes. You will notice the milk turns very lumpy - and it's ready to use!
What can you serve with soda bread?
- Any kind of soup, it's great for dunking!
- It's great to mop up gravy from a stew
- It's great at a picnic or a buffet
- Make it into a sandwich
- Enjoy it with cheese and chutney
- Simply slathered with butter
How long does soda bread last for and can it be frozen?
Soda bread is best eaten on the day it's made, and at a push the day after. It goes stale much faster than regular bread, so once it is fully cool, store it in an airtight container. If it has gone stale, you can still eat it, but you may like to warm it up slightly in the oven for 5 minutes or pop a slice in the toaster.
You can also freeze soda bread, either in an airtight container or wrapped well with cling film. Freeze for up to 3 months. For ease, you can slice it up first, then defrost a few slices at a time. Again, you may like to toast it after defrosting it, or warm it back up in the oven before serving.
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More cheese recipes...
Cheese & Caramelised Onion Soda Bread
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
- 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
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
- Sieve the plain flour into a bowl and add the bicarbonate of soda and salt, stir together
- Mix the cheese and the cooled onion into the flour mixture
- 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 deeply, almost to the bottom but not all the way through. 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 it's best eaten within 1-2 days, but will last 3 days
Baking Addict
Yours looks really good and I think I will have to give it a go now.
Kat BakingExplorer
It was very delicious!!
Stuart Vettese
That looks stunning Kat - great use of flavours too!
Kat BakingExplorer
Thanks Stuart!
Kate Glutenfreealchemist
Some delicious flavours in your bread too! Yum!
Kat BakingExplorer
Thank you!
Traci
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!
thebakingexplorer
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!)
Traci
? I added 1/13 cups instead of 1 1/4***
Polly
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!!
Anne
I have just put this in the oven I have followed the exact ingredients but it looks very heavy
thebakingexplorer
How was it after it was baked? Soda bread is a bit denser that regular bread, so that is normal.
Joanie
I made this recipe at the weekend , so easy and delicious and disappeared very fast. Thank you Kat!
thebakingexplorer
You are very welcome Joanie, I'm so pleased you enjoyed the bread!
Sarah
So yummy (and easy)! Perfect with a bowl of soup! Thank you so much xx
thebakingexplorer
Thank you Sarah!
Cody Makes Bakes
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!
thebakingexplorer
Thanks Cody, I'm so glad you all enjoyed the bread!
Kim
Could I use a red onion instead?
thebakingexplorer
Yes Kim, you can absoutely use a red onion. In fact someone on instagram did and said it worked well! 🙂
Kiran Devi
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)
thebakingexplorer
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!
Sally
Delicious! I will make this again as it was so quick & easy for something so tasty. Thanks, Kat!
Mike (@bournemouth_baker)
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
thebakingexplorer
I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread Mike! I really must try it myself with red onion 😀
Angela Hook
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!
thebakingexplorer
Thank you so much Angela, I'm so pleased you enjoyed the soda bread!
hello_emily
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
Caitlin
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I have made this so many times as it is a firm family favourite!