Smoked Cheddar Stuffed Irish Soda Bread with Thyme and Sea Salt
Bring on the bread baking! But before you hide away into that book or tv program… anything to steer you away from the daunting prospects of baking bread, this one requires no yeast and no overnight rising period or even tortuous kneading time. It simply requires a little Eat Lean cheese, flour and a few other cupboard ingredients, and then… bobs your uncle (a great Aussie saying)!
Irish soda bread is probably one of the easiest and simplest breads to make if you wish to begin your bread making journey. You most certainly are in the right place. The best part is that these few extra ingredients will add a little extra something to your soda bread and wow the crowds (or or ISO co-partner).
Herbs are really a great way to add that subtle but long lasting flavour to any dish but when added to bread in particular, the baking allows for slow infusion across the whole body rather than strong flavour in a clump. What really compliments the thyme in and on this bread is the smoky flavour in the Eat Lean cheddar cheese. Smoky, nutty and salty - three distinctive and complimentary flavours that take the natural (or dull) bread flavour to new heights.
Eat Lean is a unique cheese distributing company based in the UK. Their philosophy is creating low calorie, high protein and delicious tasting cheese which is 100% natural. In their own words;
“We believe in bringing you a completely natural cheese that is high in protein, low in fat and big on taste, helping you create delicious low calorie meals, or achieve your personalised diet plans.
Eatlean Protein cheese is handmade using 100% British cows milk by expert cheesemakers on our dairy farm in Cheshire, and it’s bursting with benefits for your new leaner healthier lifestyle…”
One key part in making bread is the dish in which it is baked. You cannot go past Victoria Cookware for heavy duty, quality cast iron products. Being based in Colombia but having distributors in Europe, America and South America (find out other countries on their website) means their products can be shipped internationally to almost every country.
For this recipe, I used their Cast Iron Dutch Oven (4Qt Cast Iron Dutch Oven). This helps create the nice circular shape as well as distributing the heat from the oven, evenly around the pot and thus the bread. Some other oven proof pots simply absorb the heat in only particular parts and therefore does not allow for even cooking. Also, with the high temperature of the oven, you are basically creating a full body massage for your bread rather than direct heat from above which often results in a burnt surface and uncooked interior/bottom.
Grab yourself one (or their whole range) because they will certainly come in handy with all that ISO cooking we are in for. Because of their quality, they will last for decades (my parents have their for over 30 years) meaning they are a great investment pieces.
Now, right to that bread baking… we need to use some time up and get ourselves some delicious, home made bread.
Note; this bread is much heavier and thicker than sourdough or sandwich bread. I literally eat less than half of this bread than I normally do which I guess means less carbs (if you care about that stuff… not me).
Smoked Cheddar Stuffed Irish Soda Bread with Thyme and Sea salt
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups bread flour (plain is ok too)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup smoked Eat Lean cheese - available here
6 thyme sprigs
Sea salt
Method
Preheat your oven to 220 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk, folding to incorporate.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn out the dough. Begin to work it by kneading with your palms and folding it over. Make sure you have pick up any stray bits to work all together.
Knead to open the dough up and place 3/4 of the cheese on one side. Fold the other side over to close and knead to ensure it’s closed. Form a ball and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Place in a heavy duty oven proof cast iron pot lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese, thyme and a pinch of sea salt. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bread has risen.
Enjoy warm with extra virgin olive oil to dunk.
