Is there anything better than homemade, fresh out of the oven bread? What if you added tons of freshly grated imported cheese and pieces of crispy bacon? Are you drooling yet? These cheesy bacon Irish soda bread muffins are unlike anything you’ve ever tried before and they are so easy to make, you’ll want to put this recipe in your regular rotation.
I love a good Irish soda bread, but I wanted to take it a step further. We all know that bacon and cheese make everything better, right? And what’s better than individual servings? Just grab and go! The best way I can explain the taste of these cheesy bacon Irish soda bread muffins is to imagine a biscuit breakfast sandwich in a muffin form. Cut and add a little butter and OMG, as my 10 year old put it, “It’s like an explosion of flavor in your mouth.” She’s obviously wise beyond her years or maybe she just watches too many cooking shows with me.
This was actually not the first time I made this cheesy bacon Irish soda bread muffin recipe. Funny story… I was creating this video for a sponsored post. I was hired by Truly Grass Fed who makes the yummiest cheese and butter ever (no, seriously). I sat down, ready to edit the video when I realized that I had forgotten to film the part where I add the cheese. Major head slap. How did I forget to film the MOST important part?
So, after a small… okay… a rather large meltdown, I sent Super Dad out to the store to purchase more butter and more cheese and he calls me to tell me that the cheese is sold out in the first store. He drove down the street to another store and again, the cheese is sold out (I told you, this cheese is REALLY good). At this point I’m freaking out because I have to reshoot the video THAT DAY.
Having run out of options, he gets home with just the butter and goes to put it into the refrigerator when he finds 2 full blocks of the cheese I needed right there, in our refrigerator. Apparently I had purchased way more than I needed and totally forgot. Or maybe it was a magical cheese fairy that heard my very loud and slightly disturbing cries for help.
Either way, I was able to shoot the video and we got a 2nd batch (which were even better than the first because I added even more cheese). As soon as the store restocks, I’m going to make a third batch and quite possibly a fourth!
Cheesy Bacon Irish Soda Bread Muffins
If you’re more of a visual learner, make sure to check out my step by step video:
Cheesy Bacon Irish Soda Bread Muffins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
A twist on a classic, these irish soda muffins are packed with cheddar cheese and bacon.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 oz cold unsalted butter (cut into small chunks)
- 10 oz cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1 pkg bacon (chopped)
- 1¼ cup low fat buttermilk
- 1 egg (large)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° and grease a muffin pan with either butter or cooking spray. I prefer avocado oil spray.
- Cook bacon as you normally would and set aside on a plate with a paper towel until cooled.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.
- Add butter (make sure it's cold) and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the dry mixture. You want the butter to wind up as small little lumps within the flour mixture.
- Chop bacon into small pieces.
- Mix in the grated cheese and bacon and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Add this mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined. Your dough should be sticky. Make sure not to overmix.
- Using a scoop or spoon, fill each muffin slot with an equal amount of dough. Put a little flour on your fingers and push down the dough so that it's flat.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Internal temp should be 200° and the thermometer should come out clean when they're done.
- Cool for 5 minutes and then remove and let them continue to cool a bit on a cooling rack. Though they are really yummy warm!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Side Dish
- Cuisine: Irish
Have you ever tried Irish soda bread before? Do you think you’d enjoy this cheesy bacon muffin version? If you do try it, please comment and let me know what you think! It’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Don’t forget to check out our other family friendly recipes, including our cheesy enchiladas!
I love soda bread, muffins and bacon and it is wonderful how you have combined all my favourite 3 ingredients into 1 item. Cant wait to try making these
Yummy!! Irish Soda Bread is one of our favourite recipes this time of year. We are always looking for a fun new spin on the recipe and we think we’ve just found it 😉 Thanks for sharing!
I need to make them soon to go with my meatloaf, it seems they would pair great. Thank you for sharing this delicious and simple recipe
I love soda bread and I also love muffins. so this is perfect for me. I cant wait to bake these.
This looks really good and I don’t think I’ve had a soda bread muffin before. Can’t go wrong with cheese and bacon
Very nice recipe. It looks delicious. I am not great cook (or baker) but I am going to try to make these.
I have had Irish Soda Bread before. It has been a long time though.