The trick to nailing this recipe is using the most mature cheddar on the shelf
Yield
Makes 1
Prep Time
15mins
Cook Time
45mins
Difficulty Level
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Give your loaf a cheesy, Irish twist with Donal Skehan’s bread recipe featuring thyme and a variety of cheeses. With less than an hour in the oven, you’ll have yourself a steaming, savoury loaf to go with butter and tea, or even a cream soup if you wish.

Donal’s Irish Adventures premieres, 17th October, Monday at 7:25pm, on StarHub channel 432, Singtel channel 255 and BBC Player

Ingredients

  • 375 g plain flour
  • 100 g wholemeal flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsps of Dillisk seaweed, ground
  • 350 ml buttermilk
  • 1 large free-range egg
  • 200 g Irish mature cheddar, grated
  • 200 g Gubbeen cheese, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme, in short sprigs
01.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

02.

In a large bowl, add the flours, baking soda and seaweed. Mix together and make a well in the centre.

03.

In a large jug, add the buttermilk and the egg, giving a gentle whisk. Pour the mix into the well within the large bowl.

04.

Add in the cheeses, leaving some of the cheddar for later, and most of the thyme. Combine the mix with a wooden spoon until you have a rough dough.

05.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured chopping board and gently knead.

06.

Add the dough to a loaf tin and brush lightly with any leftover buttermilk/egg mix you have. Add in the remaining thyme sprigs and cheese over the top of the loaf.

07.

Bake in the oven for 35-40 mins. Allow to cool before slicing and enjoying with a little butter or an extra slice of Gubbeen cheese!

TIP Add a little extra flour if you find the dough is too wet and sticky. Using a mature cheddar here makes the loaf even more flavoursome.

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