Cheddar Thyme Irish Soda Bread is an quick and easy bread to make with your St. Patrick's Day dinner, or any time you're feeling up for a easy, cheesy bread.

I used to love making yeasted breads but now that I don't have as much time to make them, this Irish Soda bread with cheddar and thyme is a great substitution. It's a dense, quick bread that doesn't require yeast to rise and comes together in about an hour.
Irish Soda Bread is a common side dish for many Irish recipes and many choose to make it on St. Patrick's Day to go along with their corned beef and cabbage or other Irish-inspired dishes.
What is cheddar thyme Irish soda bread?
Irish Soda bread is a quickly made bread that is denser than a yeasted loaf of bread. The baking soda and buttermilk act as the leavening agent in the bread. It can be made with all purpose or whole wheat flour (or a combination, like in this recipe). Soda bread can be plain or stuffed with caraway seeds and raisins. In this version, I added shredded cheddar cheese and fresh thyme.
🥘 Ingredients for this recipe
- all purpose flour
- whole wheat flour
- cheddar cheese
- egg
- buttermilk
- honey
- baking soda
- salt
- fresh thyme
🔪Instructions for this recipe
- First, preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Then, mix together your dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt.
- Next, whisk your wet ingredients together. Whisk the eggs and honey into the buttermilk.
- After that, pour the wet into the dry. Push the dry ingredients to the side of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk and egg mixture. Use a spatula to fold over ingredients until partially mixed, then sprinkle in the cheddar cheese and thyme, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Next, gently knead the dough. The dough will still be sticky but you don't want to overknead it and make it tough. Lightly flour a surface and turn out the dough. Sprinkle more flour on top and gently knead the flour into the dough until it is no longer sticky, just a few kneads.
- Finally, bake the bread. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet, use a sharp knife to cut an X in the top, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until it is lightly golden and cooked through. Let cool on a wire rack, then slice and serve.
FAQ's about soda bread
- Is soda bread really Irish? Not exactly. The Native Americans were the first to use soda as a leavening agent in bread. When baking soda became popular in the 1830's, the Irish began using it in their bread.
- What does Irish soda bread taste like? It's a dense bread that still has a good crumb to it. The crust is hearty, like what you'd find on a rustic loaf of bread. Even with cheddar and thyme the bread doesn't have much flavor, so it is not meant to be eaten on it's own. Butter or jam are great on a slice of it, or with meat and cheese.
- Why do you cut an X into soda bread? The practical reason is so the bread can rise without splitting, but there was a theory or superstition that carving a cross (X) into the bread would keep the devil out/ward off evil and protect the household.
Here in America, we tend to eat Irish Soda Bread on St. Patrick's Day. It is great served with corned beef and cabbage, or my favorite, Easy Irish Dublin Coddle, a pork/bacon/potato casserole.
If cheddar and thyme isn't your thing, check out my Irish Soda Bread Muffins, which is the traditional soda bread recipe made in muffin form.
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Recipe
Cheddar Thyme Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour plus more for kneading
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt and thyme. Mix together, then create a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and honey until combined. Pour into the well of the flour mixture and fold over with a spatula a few times, then add in the cheese.
- Continue folding until just mixed. Dough will still be a little sticky.
- Lightly dust a surface with additional all purpose flour and turn out the dough. Sprinkle a little more flour over the dough and knead a few times, until the dough is tacky but not sticky.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Cut a cross on the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes then remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with butter.
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