Irish Oatmeal Bread with Cheddar and Pumpkin Seeds
Your Irish grandmother might not recognize this cheesy version of traditional soda bread. Like its sweeter, raisin-studded cousin, it is quick to make before a hearty breakfast. Before baking, the bread is marked with a deep cross and pricked in the four triangles “to let the fairies out.’’ The bread is best eaten on the same day it is baked, but makes delicious toast for a couple more days.
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
3 ounces sharp cheddar, grated (to make 1 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Extra flour (for sprinkling)
Extra buttermilk (for brushing)
1. Set the oven at 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, stir the whole-wheat and all-purpose flours, oats, baking soda, and salt to blend them thoroughly.
3. With your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
4. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese and 1 rounded teaspoon of pumpkin seeds. Stir the remaining cheese, remaining pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds into the flour mixture. Make a well in the center and pour in 1 1/4 cups buttermilk. With a rubber spatula, stir until the mixture comes together to form a dough.
5. On a lightly floured counter, pat the dough into a 7-inch round. Transfer to the baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a 1-inch-deep cross on top. Holding the knife vertically, make a tiny prick in the center of each triangle.
6. Brush the top of the bread with buttermilk. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and pumpkin seeds.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is golden and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it. (Total baking time is 25 to 30 minutes.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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