Soda Bread with Pancetta and Gruyera Cheese

The pancetta and cheese give this quick soda bread a wonderful flavor. Although Gruyera cheese is preferred, Jarlsburg cheese works well as a less-expensive alternative.

The Inside Scoop

This is a fairly straightforward recipe. I just have a few inside comments:

When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of all-purpose flour is 120 grams. By volume, this measure may be less than 1 cup.

Cook the pancetta until it is heated but not crisp; the fat from the pancetta is needed in the batter to keep the bread from becoming dry.

Be sure to cool the cooked pancetta, onion and garlic completely before adding to the batter. If it is hot, it will melt the butter and reduce the rise of the bread.

The unsalted butter should be rubbed into the flour until it is the size of small peas; the steam generated as the butter melts helps the bread rise.

Once the bread has been placed on the parchment-lined baking sheet and shaped into a dome, take a long knife and slice through the bread down to the parchment paper; this helps produce better heat distribution and a better rise.

Print Recipe

Soda Bread with Pancetta and Gruyera Cheese

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...

By Connie Teunis – Serves: 8-12

Cooking Time: 35 minutesw

A delightfully flavorful soda bread full of pancetta, cheese, onions, rosemary and herbs.

Ingredients

142 g./ 5 oz. Pancetta, Chopped into small pieces

57 g./ 2 oz. Onions, Chopped into ¼” pieces

2 cloves Garlic, Minced

113 g./ 4 oz. Gruyera or Jarlsberg Cheese, chopped into ¼” pieces

300 g./ 2 ½ c. All-Purpose Flour

50 g./ 6 T. + 2 t. Spelt flour

50 g./ 6 T. + 2 t. Rye Flour

1 t. Baking Soda

1 t. Salt

1 t. Rosemary, chopped

1 t. Thyme, chopped

28 g./ 2 T. Unsalted Butter, grated

415 ml./ 1 3/4 c. Buttermilk, shaken

Instructions

1

Place chopped pancetta and chopped onion in a large skillet; fry on medium heat until onion is tender and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat; cool completely.

2

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3

In a medium bowl, combine all 3 flours, the baking soda, salt, Rosemary and Thyme; mix well. Rub in the grated butter until butter is the size of small peas. Add the cooked pancetta, onion and garlic and Gruyera or Jarlsberg Cheese. Toss to distribute evenly throughout the flour mix.

4

Make a well in the middle of the flour mix; add the buttermilk. Stir just to combine. If the dough is stiff, add buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough can be easily manipulated but still holds a shape. Do not add more than 2 tablespoons of buttermilk.

5

Shape the batter into a dome and place on a baking sheet. Use a long knife to cut the dome in fourths all the way to the parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a metal tester inserted into the thickest part of the bread comes clean. Remove the bread from the oven; let cool for 5 minutes then place the bread on a cooling rack. Cool at least 15 minutes before eating. (Yes, the aroma is so amazing it is hard to wait!)

6

Enjoy!