Soda Bread with Walnut, Onion and Cheese

There are thousands of soda bread recipes on the net and this one isn't so very different, but I wanted to record my basic, perfect-for-soup (and other things) soda bread recipe. Forgive me if you've heard it all before. 

Apart from the buttermilk, this recipe uses ingredients that I normally have to hand in my kitchen cupboards and fridge and so this is a bread that can be put together quickly with minimal effort. To that end, I use the packaged crispy onions that you can buy at pretty much any supermarket but don't let me stop you frying your own crispy onions, if you're so inclined. 

Like other soda breads, this does not store well and should either be eaten quickly or frozen. Happily, it does freeze very well.

The amount of buttermilk specified here might seem strange but buttermilk is most commonly sold in ½ pint measures in the UK. Let's just say that the reason for this is historic.

160g self-raising flour

160g wholegrain flour 

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

40g chopped walnuts

15g crispy onions

30g hard cheese (Cheddar, Red Leicester or whatever), grated 

284ml buttermilk

Salt and pepper

Optional: a sprinkling of rolled oats for the top of the bread

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Either use a truly non-stick oven tray or line a standard tray with non-stick baking parchment or silicone mat. 

In a large bowl, add the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, chopped walnuts, crispy onions, grated cheese and a little salt and pepper. Stir in the buttermilk until the mixture comes together. The dough will be quite sticky but all the flour should be combined. If there is a significant amount of flour mixture that refuses to mix into the dough, then add a small amount of buttermilk, yoghurt or just milk and mix together again. Don't overmix or make the mixture too wet, though.

Form the dough into a ball and place on the prepared oven tray. If you're using oats to top the bread, then sprinkle them on at this stage. Gently push the top of the dough down until it's around 4cm thick. Use a very sharp knife or scalpel to cut a cross quite deeply into the top.

Place in the preheated oven and bake the bread for 35 - 45 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on the base. Carefully lift the bread onto a wire rack and wait until it's cool enough to eat or leave it until completely cold if it's destined for the freezer.