Pear and Rosemary Soda Bread

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Makes: One Loaf

Difficulty:

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Make your own soda bread with this easy recipe. With a blend of pear and rosemary, this simple bread has a lovely burst of flavour.

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Pear and Rosemary Soda Bread

Ingredients:

500g plain flour

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

400ml buttermilk or yoghurt

A little milk, if necessary

4 Corella pears

Olive oil

12 sprigs rosemary

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl
Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, stirring as you go, if necessary, add a splash of milk to bring the mixture together; the dough will be soft but not too sticky
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for 1 minute. You need to move quickly now to get it into the oven while the bicarb is active
Place the dough into a lightly greased non-stick loaf pan - 15 x 27cm
Slice the pears lengthways and place in a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and mix to coat
Using a sharp knife, cut evenly placed slits in the top of the dough; insert 2-3 slices of pear and a twig of rosemary into each slit in the dough
Sprinkle with sea salt and place in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes. The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the base
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack if you like a crunchy crust, or wrap in a clean tea towel if you prefer a soft crust. Soda bread is best eaten while still warm, spread with butter and/or a dollop of your favourite jam