This easy soda bread with caramelised shallots is a delicious accompaniment with cheese or to dip into soup with a slab of herby butter on top!

  • 65mins
  • one loaf
  • Medium

Ingredients

  • For the bread:
  • 20g butter
  • 6 shallots, finely sliced
  • 1tbsp brown sugar
  • 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 500g plain white flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2tsp baking powder
  • 60g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 400ml buttermilk
  • For the butter:
  • 230g butter, at room temperature
  • Small bunch thyme, leaves picked
  • Small bunch parsley, finely chopped

Method

To make the soda bread: Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan. Melt the butter in a frying pan and gently cook the shallots, with the lid on for 10 minutes. Add the sugar and vinegar and turn up the heat. Cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes so that the shallots caramelised. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder then stir in 50g of the cheese and the shallots.

Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Splay your fingers out like a big fork and mix gently but quickly to combine to a dough. To get the lightest bread, minimise the amount you handle the dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a circle. Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet and pat down a little. Scatter with the remaining cheese and cut a large cross, deep into the dough and bake for 40-45 mins until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

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