Pammy's Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 g) – scoop, level, and shake off excess
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder (12 g)
• ½ tsp baking soda (3 g)
• 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt (7 g)
• 1 tsp sugar (5 g)
• 8 tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced (115 g)
• 1 ¾ cups coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar (180 g)
• 1 ¼ cups very cold cultured buttermilk (300 g) – shake the carton first
• 2 tbsp minced chives or scallions (10 g, optional)
• 1 ½ Tbsp melted butter (20 g) – for brushing the baked loaf

Instructions

1. Pop an empty metal mixing bowl, the butter cubes, and the grated cheese in the freezer while you gather everything else.

2. Set the oven to 400 °F (205 °C). Lightly grease a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and line the long sides with a parchment sling so you can lift the loaf out later.

3. Pull the chilled bowl from the freezer and whisk in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

4. Add the icy butter cubes and pinch or rub them into the flour until most pieces look like flattened peas. Or you can use a food processor and mix for one second at a time. (about 5 times)

5. Toss in the cheddar and chives if using. Make sure every shred is coated with flour so it doesn’t clump.

6. Pour in 1 cup of the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the dough looks shaggy. Drizzle in just enough of the remaining buttermilk. It should be a shaggy dough but not super sticky. When you squeeze a handful, it should hold together.

7. Turn the dough onto a floured counter. Pat it into a rough rectangle about ¾ inch thick and 12 × 8 inches. With the 12-inch edge facing you, cut the dough into four long strips (each 3 inches wide). Stack the strips, press lightly, rotate the stack so its long edge runs away from you, and slice into 5 equal blocks. Stand those blocks upright in the loaf pan like index cards—layered cut sides facing the pan’s short ends.

9. Slide the filled pan into the fridge for 10 minutes while the oven finishes heating if you feel like the dough is warm again.

10. Bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway. If the top browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil.

11. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, lift out with the parchment, then brush the top with melted butter. Let the loaf rest another 10 minutes before slicing so the crumb sets. Pull apart, toast, or slather with jam! Let me know if you try this!