Cheesy Garlic, Walnut & Rosemary Soda Bread … comfort in these unsettled times. There are a few things that bring greater comfort and small joy than anything chocolate or fresh home baked bread.
Chocolate, I have you covered. Plenty on my feed. It’s time today for bread. Quick, simple hearty bread which requires little planning, no rising and almost offers almost instant gratification! Well in the sense, the wait is just for the bread to bake, for the oven to do its magic. Oh,did I tell you it’s 50% wholegrain too?
It’s been a while since I shared bread here on PAB, even though I do bake a loaf now and then. It’s usually a yeasted bread, a rare sourdough {though I’ve killed my starter now}, and then this!
Soda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in a variety of cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate (otherwise known as “baking soda”, or in Ireland, “bread soda”) is used as a leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.
For those of you who are terrified of yeast or simple don’t have active yeast at home, this is a nice way to begin. This is also the easiest bread for the novice home baker, a bread that boosts confidence and makes home smell like heaven!
For times like these, please bake bread. I promise you this bread as is, OR generously slathered with butter, or then simply dipped in a good extra virgin olive oil, is therapeutic.
If you have some left over, simply toast it, and right, just slap on some butter and enjoy. Maybe serve soup on the side? Else dice up any leftover bread, toss in extra virgin olive oil, toast it in the oven till crisp on the edges and make a salad.
Even though the bread isn’t airy and light, it still hits the right spot. And that’s just what we need these days, right?
I’ve customised the bread to my favourite ingredients with add ins as I went along. Garlic tops my list of favourites, rosemary because my 3 tiny plants are showing signs of survival, walnuts because they are my absolute favourite tree nut to use in sweet & savoury bakes.
Baby Bell cheese because I had some lying the fridge and threw it in as an afterthought. Cheese makes everything better! You could use any semi soft cheese – edam, mozzarella or then even cheddar. I think an apple wood smoked cheddar would be really good here too!
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Cheesy Garlic, Walnut & Rosemary Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 130 g whole wheat flour/aata
- 130 g all purpose flour {maida}
- 1/2 teaspoon rock salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Rosemary sprigs
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup walnuts toasted, chopped
- 2 small rounds Baby Bell cheese quartered {or any semi soft cheese/mozzarella}
- 50 g unsalted butter cold
- 200 ml cultured buttermilk {plain chaach}
- Pink rock salt to sprinkle over
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 215°C.
- Mix together the flours, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in rosemary, garlic, walnuts.
- Add the butter and rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles bread crumbs.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the buttermilk 3/4 of amount into the flour mixture.
- Using an open hand bring the flour and liquid together to a loose dough. The dough should be quite soft, but not too sticky. You will know then if it needs more of the liquids. (Flour in different places reacts differently to added liquid).
- Turn onto a floured work surface, scatter the cheese and gently bring the dough together into a round 4-5".
- Score the top with a cross. Add toppings if you like, sprinkle a little pink rock salt over it.
- Place in a round baking tin, cast iron skillet on a square of parchment. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 200°C and bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown and risen. When done, the loaf will sound slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.
