Transforming traditional Irish soda bread to give it a Mediterranean twist!

Savoury Tomato and Basil Bread

This basic soda bread recipe can be transformed to make a variety of herb and nutty breads. Here, I’ve added sundried tomatoes, olive oil and basil to give it a Mediterranean savour and aroma.

This makes one large loaf. Firstly, preheat your oven at 225 ^oC /450 ^o F. Lightly grease the base and sides of a 1lb loaf tin with a little butter or oil.

Ingredients:

1lb of plain flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of bread soda

1oz of finely chopped sundried tomatoes

1 handful of chopped basil (and a little rosemary if you have some)

20ml of olive oil and 20ml red pesto mixed (shop bought pesto is fine)

~350-400ml of buttermilk

Method:

Place the sundried tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle a little of the olive oil and sprinkle some chopped basil on top and heat in the oven to soften for 5-7 minutes.  Add all the dry ingredients through a sieve to a large mixing bowl.  Whisk the olive oil and red pesto in a measuring jug and mix in ¾ of the buttermilk. Add the cooled tomatoes mixture and the chopped basil (and rosemary) to the dried ingredients. Mix in the buttermilk/pesto mixture to form a soft dough. Scoop the mixed dough into your greased loaf tin and run a knife down through the centre. Bake in a hot oven for 40 minutes- check and turn back temperature slightly if the top of the loaf is burning. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

Serving tip: This is delicious served with homemade soup or as a sandwich- my favourite is rocket, parma ham and shaved parmesan on top!