fermented bread

My sister Laura made this bread for me upon my recent trip home to Great Britain. It is delicious! My family love to cook and after being apart for three years, we enjoyed sharing recipes and cooking with and for each other. Like Irish soda bread, bicarbonate of soda is used as the leavening agent. The addition of grated carrots, seeds, wholewheat flour and yoghurt make this this a healthy bread option. It’s nice and crusty on the outside and moist on the inside. This bread is fairly dense so I wouldn’t suggest using it for sandwiches but it’s a great option to accompany soups, salads or some scrambled eggs for brunch. Plan in advance as you need allow three hours for the fermentation process to take place. Letting the ingredients ‘ferment’ is great for for the gut!

Ingredients - Makes 1 Loaf

300g wholemeal flour

200g live-thick yoghurt

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

100g grated carrot (approx. 1 large carrot)

2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary (depending upon your taste)

Creating the Magic!

Mix half the flour with the yoghurt and 100ml of water. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to ferment for around 3 hours (keeping it out of direct sunlight).

After three hours, preheat the oven to 200C/395F (180C/350F with fan).

Add the remaining ingredients using a butter knife to combine. Be careful not to over combine the dough as you will make it tough.

Gently turn the dough on to a lightly floured baking tray and bring it together in a loaf shape. Score a cross on the top with a sharp knife.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until golden, and check that the base is dry and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Place on a wire rack and let it cool completely.

Enjoy! This loaf will keep for 2 days at room temperature well wrapped, 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Notes: Replace carrots with grated zucchini - reduce water to 80ml.