Courgette & Cheese Bread

a simple bread that is perfect for cold days when all you need is comfort

The year 2020 will be remembered in a number of ways, one of those is the year of baking. I have to say that this year I did manage to nail my sourdough and felt suitably smug about the whole thing. Sometime we all need a hit of bread that does not require as much attention as sourdough, this recipe fits that bill.

As I have both hEDS and rheumatoid arthritis I like to keep my kneading to a minimum and this is fast, no knead and has courgettes and cheese in it. The courgette and cheese keep the bread from becoming too dry and well do I need to spell out why cheese is awesome, no I didn’t think so.

Soda bread freezes well so why not make 2 loaves and keep one for later

I have been writing this blog for a decade now. I have written books and written for magazines and newspapers. I have always been a writer, even before I was paid to do so. Often I feel like the words inside me will consume me from within if I do not let them out. Recently I have been allowing myself to write without finding the commercial benefit for the words. In a way my instagram feed serves this purpose also, lots of little brain dumps in my squares. In one of my many notebooks I have been writing about my thoughts on life, well I suppose happiness and fulfilment really. I certainly feel I am at a good age for ALL of the reflective thoughts and I have enough experience to know what really matters to me.

I have always been a home body, even when I travelled and lived overseas I feel the need to nest. My memories are always bookmarked with food and quiet moments; that time we ate, or the day we drank this, remember when we watched this movie under a blanket and ate cheese. Now I have recognised this about myself I am filled with a giddy excitement when I make food and wonder what memory it will bookmark.

Will this be the soup that acts as a bookmark to the day Humphrey sang at the table and made us all cry. Will this be the mulled wine that Joe brings to me as I try to get through another Christmas missing the babies I didn’t get to make gifts for and hold close as they grew.

You Will Need

400g self raising flour
100g oats
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
20g butter
1 large courgette, grated
75g strong cheddar
salt
thyme (this is not exact I used about 2tsp but just go for it)
250ml whey or natural yogurt
milk to brush the top

Coarsely grate the courgette, salt it and leave it in a sieve to ‘sweat’. This takes a couple of hours, you could spend this time reading Archie and The Rug or watching my wonderful IGTV videos.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C for fan ovens.
Place the flour, oats bicarb and butter in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour.
Squeeze out the courgette and add to the flour mixture along with the cheese, salt to taste (remember the courgettes were salted so don’t go crazy), thyme, whey/yogurt.
Bring the dough together with a wooden spoon but do not over work it as that will make it dense.
Put the dough onto a lightly floured baking tray and form it into a dome. Make a deep cross in your bread. You cannot skip this as soda bread cooks quickly and you need this to make sure that the centre of the loaf also cooks.
Lightly brush the top with mils and add a little more cheese to the top if you like, but that is optional, if cheese could ever be described as optional.
Bake for around 40mins or until golden brown on top.