Kaethe from SPUDS (The Sustainable Potatoes United Development Study!) in Ireland asked for a recipe:

Cheesy, garlicky soda bread made with blight-resistant Blue Danubes sounds fantastic, but where is the recipe? Any new take on soda bread ROCKS for us Irish, especially if it incorporates SPUDS… Send a link pronto!

How could I resist? The Blue Danube potato is one of several varieties I’m trialling for the forward-thinking people at the Savari Research Trust. These blight-resistant potatoes are more sustainable to grow because they don’t require the heavy chemical treatments and intensive maintenance that many conventional varieties need.

Working with these varieties means experimenting in the kitchen as well as the field. I’ve been trying new recipes and this potato soda bread quickly became a favourite. The addition of potato makes the crumb moist and tender, avoiding the dryness some soda breads can have. Cheddar, garlic and thyme add a savoury depth that’s addictive. It’s delicious plain with butter, lightly toasted with a poached egg, or served alongside leek and potato soup.

If you’d like to make it, read on.

Potato soda bread with cheese, garlic & thyme

I prefer to make my own self-raising mix by combining plain flour with baking powder, but if you use store-bought self-raising flour, simply swap in the same weight of SR flour for the plain flour. The small extra baking powder from the recipe will not noticeably change the result.

This recipe is adapted from Leith’s Vegetarian Bible by Polly Tyrer.

Ingredients

350g plain flour (I used wholemeal spelt flour for its nutty flavour and colour)
7 tsp baking powder
2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or finely ground chilli (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp fresh or dried thyme leaves (dill, rosemary or chives are good alternatives)
1 free-range egg
3 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed or grated (use more to taste, or try roasted/confit garlic)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
150g mature cheddar (or your preferred cheese)
350g peeled potatoes by weight (Blue Danube or another floury variety is best)
Up to 100g milk, yoghurt, buttermilk or whey (you may not need all of this; see method)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or grease and flour it to prevent sticking.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne into a large bowl. Stir in the thyme so the dry ingredients are evenly combined.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and mix in the garlic and Dijon mustard.

Grate the cheese and the potatoes directly into the dry mixture. Alternatively, dice the cheese if you prefer pockets of melted cheese in the loaf. Add the egg, garlic and mustard mixture and mix together with a knife, spatula or clean hands.

Pour in the milk, yoghurt, buttermilk or whey gradually, mixing until the dough comes together. You want a soft, slightly sticky dough, so add liquid slowly. Once the liquid is added the baking powder starts to react, so work promptly and evenly.

Shape the dough into a round loaf on the prepared tray. Score a cross partway through the top to help the loaf bake evenly.

Bake for 30–40 minutes until the crust is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and, if you can wait, allow it to cool slightly before slicing—this helps the crumb set and improves texture.

This potato soda bread is excellent warm with butter, toasted for breakfast, or alongside soups and stews. The recipe is flexible: change the herbs, cheese or spice to suit your taste.

You may also enjoy my recipe for oatmeal soda bread.