“A loaf of bread, the Walrus said, is what we chiefly need…..” Author Lewis Carroll

Do you remember the bread baking craze at the onset of the Pandemic? The obsessive approach to bread baking became somewhat cultish during that time. Everything was so scary and unknown, the confines of our kitchens became our safe places…our creative outlets.

Images of homemade baked bread filled the world of social media. It was a collective game of “find the flour”…. and if that part was successful… then it was time to move on to the next level and play “find the yeast”, both often scarce. It took a lot of time to procure the ingredients as well as the prepping and the baking time. Time was a new luxury bestowed upon us in those historic dark days…..then….

….time moved along… and soon my food styling photo shoots resumed and no longer did I have, or take the time to spend entire days baking bread. Bitter sweet.

Missing homemade crusty bread fresh from the oven, I recently revisited one of my favorite easy recipes for Irish Soda Bread . It is a simple, sober kind of bread that can be made as plain-as-day, or as dressed-up as you like using a few inexpensive ingredients…four the be exact. It is a bread that doesn’t demand a lot of a cook. It does not become an obsession nor a job, but simply a pleasure. The process of making and baking is quick and relaxing. Slice it for sandwiches, toast it for butter and jam, break off pieces to sop up roasting juices, or to eat with soups. These rolls have a crusty outside and soft inside which are great cut open and stuffed with cheese and ham.

I added lots of herbs to the dough along with some grated cheese…..

…then topped them with lots of dill before baking. A tempting bite….

..when warm fresh-from-the-oven and slathered with Kerrygold butter.

Herbed Irish Soda Bread Rolls

Easy, delicious homemade bread.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 12 rolls

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour sifted + extra for work surface
• 2 tsps dried thyme leaves
• 3 tbsps dried dill divided
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup grated white cheddar, or gruyere
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk + extra if needed

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan(s) with parchment paper.
2. Mix sifted flour, thyme, half of the dill, salt and baking soda together in a mixing bowl. Add grated cheese and blend.
3. Make a "well" in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in buttermilk. Mix together gently. Add a bit more buttermilk if the dough seems too dry. The dough should be somewhat soft and wet. Scrape dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
4. Fold together and knead the dough until smooth. Tear off 12 equal pieces of the dough and shape each one into a ball. Place dough balls on the prepared sheet pan and using a sharp knife dipped in water make an "X" in the top of each one. Sprinkle the remaining dill on top of the rolls.
5. Bake rolls for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.