TWD: Baking With Julia- Cheesy Irish Soda Bread

This recipe is a basic Irish soda bread.  No fuss, easy and very fast to put together.  I have made soda bread before.  My husband really enjoyed it, and I liked it, but was not crazy about it.  It is kinda like a giant buttermilk biscuit, which I could take or leave.  But what could make one like biscuits (aside from smothering it in gravy)?  Cheese, of course! 
I figured cheddar was a safe bet, and almost used it, but then I found some asiago and a sharp gouda in the trenches of my 2 jam packed refrigerators, and thought those would be yummy too.  It was.  My husband could not taste the cheese, but I could.  It was a bit too subtle for me though and next time I would add more.  I used about 1 1/4 cups, and I would use a full 2 cups next time.  I sprinkled some asiago on top and wished I had done more of that too.  I mean, how can one have too much cheese? 

I also used some whole wheat flour instead of all unbleached, because it is just how I roll.  A more traditional filling is raisins or currants, but to me the sky is the limit.  Next time I may add some parsley, garlic salt, and the cheese and have a giant red lobster biscuit, and eat it all by myself.

This in not the kind of bread to go with spaghetti, but more the kind that would be great with meat and potatoes, soups or stews.  A hearty bread with a crispy crust and dense but soft crumb.   Yeah, we didn't wait until it was cool to cut into it, and we stored it wrapped tightly for the next day.  No doubt, much better fresh, but still decent on day 2. Great bread to make in a pinch, but add the cheese! This is on page 214 of the Baking with Julia, or you can get the recipe at our lovely hosts blogs, Carla of chocolatemoosey or Cathleen of myculinarymission.