Professor Butter Beard’s Bacon and Cheddar Irish Soda Bread
2 loaves
14 ounces cured bacon, cooked well-done and coarsely crumbled
6 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup dark brown sugar
8 ounces strong cheddar, grated
2 ½ cups buttermilk
¼ cup cool water
1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and prepare two loaf pans with cooking spray and parchment paper inserts.
2) Cook the bacon (either in the oven or in a sauté pan) until well-done. Set aside to cool on a paper towel-lined plate. When cool, coarsely crumble the bacon. Set at the ready.
3) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, Kosher salt, black pepper and dark brown sugar.
4) Grate the cheddar cheese and fold into the dry mix. Then fold in the bacon crumbles.
5) Whisk together the buttermilk and water. Make a well in the dry mix and pour in the wet. Gently fold together to make a soft dough.
6) Carefully turn the dough out onto a flour-lined surface and divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape them into loaves and lay them into the prepared pans. Gently flatten the surface and lightly sift the tops with flour. Cut slashes into the tops with scissors. I suggest creating three X’s (XXX).
7) Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes. Rotate the loaves and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes to even the color.
8) Remove the loaves from the oven. Let them cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Tip them from the pans, remove the parchment paper, and let the loaves cool on the wire rack to room temperature.
