Jalapeño Cheddar Irish Soda Bread

I love a good savory Irish Soda Bread (aka Buttermilk bread).  This Jalapeño Cheddar Irish Soda Bread is quick and easy to make. I made it to go with my Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage for St Patrick’s Day.

What is great about soda bread is that you do not need to wait for it to rise. Baking Soda and Baking powder do the work. So, it is a quick bread to make. You can make plain soda bread with five basic ingredients: flour, butter, buttermilk, baking soda, and baking powder.  From there, you can add whatever you like. A friend of mine makes a really good one with blue cheese stuffed olives.  I used Jalapeño and Cheddar for mine.

This is a savory bread. There are sweet versions of Irish Soda bread as well, but I like to avoid extra sugar and I prefer savory breads.

To make Irish Soda Bread, mix the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Then cut in 4 tablespoons of softened (not melted) butter. You can use a dough blender for cutting in the butter, but I prefer to use two knifes. Simply add slices of the softened butter and use the knives to cut it into smaller pieces in the dough.

Stir in the buttermilk and any additions, such as the Jalapeño and Cheddar in this case, and then using your hands, knead the mix until it forms a ball. Add a bit extra buttermilk if needed to pull it all together.

Place the ball on a parchment lined baking sheet (I like to spray it too, this dough is pretty sticky), brush the top with melted butter is desired, and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees. If you want to be traditional, cut an X on the top before baking. This is transitionally done to ward off evil spirits or the devil.

After baking, cool on a wire rack and then enjoy!

I serve mine with traditional dishes such as corned beef and cabbage or Irish Stew.