Irish Soda bread is one of those things that you either love or hate. It’s a heavy dense bread that is pretty much a requirement for St. Patrick’s Day and well, that’s about it. Now I’m sure if this a mainstay in your household you eat it more often than once a year. For me, I make it once a year which is sad as I really like this bread.
This bread is PERFECT with my Guinness Crock Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage with a Guinness Reduction Sauce I mean PERFECT! Actually anytime I make that dish, I make this bread. It just goes perfectly!
What I love about this bread is the simplicity of it. There’s no kneading or yeast and you really don’t have to put too much thought into it. It’s rustic in appearance and well, it has beer and cheese ‘n it.
Just look how amazing the loaf cooks right in the pan! No muss, no fuss and the only clean up is you toss the parchment paper and wipe out your cast iron pan.
How easy is that?! 
Now if you REALLY wanted to be daring, I would even go as far as adding cooked bacon chunks to the dough.
Seriously… beer… bacon AND cheese!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what about some caramelized onions too?!!!
This Irish bread is sure to charm the pants off of any Leprechaun… or Irish Man *wink*
PrintDrunken Cheesy Irish Soda Bread
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Ingredients
- 3 cups flour (all purpose)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick cold, firm butter (unsalted)
- 2 cups grated cheddar, divided
- 1 cup Guinness , foam removed
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Lightly spray a piece of parchment paper AND a 12” cast iron pan.
- Line the parchment paper in the pan so the sides extend at least 1/2” above the edges of the pan.
- Pour the Guinness into a large cup.
- Carefully spoon off the foam and discard.
- Measure out 1 cup of the beer and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, 1 1/2 cups of cheddar, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the butter cubes and using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles very coarse crumbs with bits of butter still visible here and there.
- Stir in Guinness and vinegar until you have a shaggy, messy dough.
- Mix everything together in the bowl with your hands into a cohesive dough that holds together without kneading it.
- Shape into a dome and transfer to the parchment lined pan.
- Gently score a cross pattern into the top without deflating the dough.
- Brush the top lightly with cream and 1/2 cup cheddar and bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until golden and crusty and bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
- Carefully grabbing the parchment paper, transfer it and the bread immediately to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing, or just break into quarters along the score lines.
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