Crunchy Rosemary and Honey Soda bread

This is by far the easiest bread recipe I have ever tried! I had handwritten it a while ago but only had the time to make it now.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Anup was away on work travel. I did not have a chance to step out of the home to buy store bought rolls, bread and had some extra kitchen time in between cooking the mains so what did I do when I realised I did not have yeast or any rising agents other than soda bicarbonate, look for the next best option! Which truly was the best option where it came to this recipe.

You can have it with melted butter, olive oil with some Mediterranean herbs or if you like sweeter options maple syrup, honey drizzle or jelly/jams or even peanut butter. I made this bread over Christmas Eve and we dunked it into some savoury Slow cooked duck gravy! Yumm! I will share the duck recipe soon as well.

This bread is best had immediately out of the oven so make sure you have your accompaniments of your choice ready to go and this is the last thing you take out from the oven. Crispy and crunchy on the outside, this is the bread to go when the weather outside is cold / chilly even! Hope you enjoy this bread as much as we did!

You need:

• 400 gms of whole wheat flour or multigrain wheat flour
• 475 gms of maida/plain flour
• A pinch of salt
• 8 tbsps of natural honey (if you do not have this you can use store bought varieties too)
• 2 sprigs of rosemary or dried rosemary (in case you do not have the option for fresh varieties)
• 600 ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp of soda bicarbonate

The Make:
Serves 4 adults | Preparation time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

1. Preheat your oven to 210°C
2. If you are using dried rosemary, you can use it directly from the air tight bottle. Otherwise remove the rosemary from the stalks and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the whole wheat flour with the plain flour, rosemary and salt.
4.Add the buttermilk and honey. Mix well till you get a soft dough. Next turn the soft dough onto a floured surface and knead well to a smooth mix.
5. Shape into two round loafs and stick a knife into the top of one loaf and cut a cross and then cut into another cross till you see eight triangles. Repeat for the second loaf.
6. Using a metal spatula carefully scoop each loaf onto lightly floured baking trays.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes each. Bake test is to tap the base of the loaf lightly to hear a hollow sound.
8. Rest for 5-10 minutes. If you are not a fan of crusty bread, then wrap the loaf in a damp kitchen/tea towel.

Serve hot! Bon Appetit!