CHEESE & CHIVE SODA BREAD

a very large cheese scone masquerading as bread, what more could you want?

the restraint it takes to not eat this loaf while it’s cooling

Good morning!

We’re mid way through February and I don’t know about you but that went by in a snap for me, one second we were crawling towards the end of Jan and now here we are with only two weeks left till March ?! This happens every year and yet I am still surprised. Lots of you reached out to say you would appreciate a Berlin food guide, which is very exciting, so I am diligently eating my way around the city for you as we speak. A food guide is cooking, you have my word!

I’ve spoken a bit on social media about my mixed feelings on Valentine’s day and all the other made up holidays that our capitalist society thrusts upon us. I think it’s pretty special to celebrate the people you love, and to have a reminder to make a special effort once a year is in theory, a really lovely thing. But I take issue with the endless ads and made up reasons to spend money that we get bombarded with, the pressure to exhibit our love on the internet and demonstrate that through spend - the whole thing gives me the ick. I remember all the years I was single on Valentine’s day, feeling a deep seated irritation that such a big emphasis was put on it, and that to be single was widely acknowledged as a sad thing. So if like me, you don’t celebrate in the traditional way and you find the whole thing a bit gross, I invite you to join me in an alternative V day. It will surprise exactly no one that I tend to show my love through food and so I like to cook for the people that I love. And with valentines, I like to think of that going beyond romantic love and right through to familial and platonic love, to appreciate my friends and my family too. Tonight, we’ve invited one of our closest friends round for dinner and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it.

This week I’ve shared the recipe for a real favourite of mine, if you’ve been paying attention to my instagram stories this week you’ll know that this took some frustrating testing to get right, but I am SO glad I persevered because the finished result is a real treat. Soda bread is special for lots of reasons, but the main one is that it doesn’t require any resting, proving or rising time, making it a very quick loaf to whip up. You can choose to make it in the morning and be eating a piece slathered with salty butter by lunch time.

Sending love, Rosie x

love is great

capitalism sucks

make this soda bread

it’s as good as it looks

CHEESE & CHIVE SODA BREAD

Try as hard as you can to let this loaf cool down completely before cutting in, if you slice it too soon then the middle can be a little gummy and damp. In reality this is truly fine if you just toast each slice a little, but I think texturally it does benefit from cooling down fully. It’s best eaten the day it’s made, but if you do have leftovers, slice, toast and enjoy with a jammy boiled egg, dipped into soup, straight up buttered as a snack, and my favourite of all, spread with marmite and topped with a little more sliced cheese. This bread can do no wrong.

Ingredients:

200g white spelt flour

200g plain flour

70g rolled oats

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

1 tsp fine sea salt 

1 tsp ground black pepper

150g cheddar cheese grated (or another hard cheese like comté or gruyere)

A bunch of chives (30g), finely chopped

400g buttermilk or natural yoghurt

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, the oats, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper.

3. Grate the cheese and add this into the dry ingredients, with the finely chopped chives, tossing until evenly distributed.

4. Finally, add the buttermilk and stir to combine until shaggy dough forms.

5. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and very lightly knead until it forms a smooth ball.

6. Clean down your work surface, scatter the sesame seeds in an even layer and then roll the ball of dough in the seeds, until they cover all sides, scooping up any excess and sprinkling on top of the dough.

7. Transfer to a lined baking sheet.

8. Score a cross in the top of the loaf, around an inch deep.

9. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, then turn the heat down to 180c and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.

10. Take the loaf out of the oven and allow to cook on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, but ideally an hour.

11. Serve slathered in salty butter with a cup of tea.