Cakes & Bakes: Wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread

Wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread

We’re lucky enough to have lots of wild garlic growing in parts of our garden. Before moving, we used to carefully forage in the wild for a few leaves to make pesto and garlic butter. Now that we have so much of it, we’ll be using it to make so much more… beginning with this wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread.

Dry ingredients in a mixing bowl Wet and dry ingredients in a mixing bowl

This year, for some reason, we’ve left it a little late to harvest. Leaves should be picked before the flowers come into bloom; which generally happens in early May. If you’re picking in the wild, try to pick only a couple of leaves from each plant. Don’t exhaust the plant or leave massive bald patches in the woodland floor; don’t pick more than you need. For this recipe, you only need a handful… only about a dozen or so leaves.

Chopped wild garlic and goats cheese on wooden chopping boards Wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread before being cooked

The goats cheese I used was quite a wet, gooey one, but you could always use a more crumbly-textured kind. The flavours of the wild garlic and goats cheese really complement each other. While it was cooking, the cheesy, garlicky smell engulfing the kitchen was mouth-watering!

I like it still warm from the oven, with just a bit of butter spread over – melting into the crumb. Justin thinks it’s delicious as an accompaniment to poached eggs, bacon or cooked ham.

Cooked wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread boule

Click here or on the image below to save my wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread recipe to Pinterest

Homemade wild garlic and goats cheese soda bread recipe

Wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread

Wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread

Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine British
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 350 ml/12fl oz buttermilk or 330ml/11½fl oz full cream milk with the juice of a lemon stirred in
  • 200 g/7oz wholemeal flour
  • 200 g/7 oz plain flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 100 g/3½oz goats cheese cubed
  • handful of wild garlic leaves finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas mark 5
  • Grease & line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, bicarb and salt
  • Add the cubed goats cheese and chopped wild garlic leaves and toss to combine. Make a well in the middle
  • Pour in the buttermilk and bring the dough together. Don't overwork
  • Empty the dough out on to a well-floured work surface and form into a ball. Again don't overwork
  • Put the dough ball on to the prepared baking sheet. Score with a deep cross on top
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is a lovely golden brown
  • Take off the baking sheet on to a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes
  • Slice and serve warm
Wild garlic & goats cheese soda bread ingredients
If you don't have buttermilk, make something similar by stirring the juice of a lemon into full fat milk and allowing it to sit for about ½ an hour before use
Keyword bread, cheese,, forage, goats cheese, soda bread

Cakes & Bakes: Parmesan crisps

Home-made parmesan crisps | H is for Home

We have builders working on our house at the moment. The water, gas and electricity are regularly being turned off and back on as they extend & update our central heating system. Despite the upheaval, I wanted to keep up with our weekly recipe post. I thought Parmesan crisps would be a good option as they’re ultra-quick to prep and make.

Sprigs of Mediterranean herbs | H is for Home Sprigs of Mediterranean herbs | H is for Home

They are basically just grated and grilled/baked Parmesan. I picked a few sprigs of herbs from the garden; rosemary, thyme and oregano – Mediterranean flavours match perfectly with an Italian cheese. I also cracked a handful of mixed peppercorns with a pestle & mortar to sprinkle over the tops.

Grating Parmesan | H is for Home Putting grated Parmesan into small piles | H is for Home

Little piles of grated Parmesan | H is for Home Little piles of grated Parmesan with chopped fresh herbs | H is for Home

You can either mix the herbs or, do what I did, sprinkle them separately so you have different flavoured crisps. They’re perfect on a cheeseboard, with antipasti or dunked in baba ganoush, hummus or a sun-dried tomato dip.

Parmesan crisps recipe | H is for Home #recipe #keto #ketogenic #nocarb #lowcarb #cheese #parmesan #snack

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Parmesan crisps
Yields 12
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 150g Parmesan, grated
  2. 1 tsp chopped fresh Mediterranean herbs
  3. ½tsp cracked pepper
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Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/ºF/Gas mark or turn a grill on to medium
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  3. Make piles of about a tablespoon of grated Parmesan - leaving lots of space between each as they will spread out (I could fit 5 on a large baking sheet)
  4. Sprinkle each pile with the herbs and pepper
  5. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes (or under the grill for 3 minutes) until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown
  6. Allow to cool on the sheet for a minute, lift them off using a spatula and put them on a wire rack to cool completely
  7. Repeat from #3 until all the grated cheese has been used
Notes
  1. Instead of Parmesan (which contains animal rennet), most large supermarkets stock vegetarian hard cheese alternatives
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Cakes & Bakes: Cheese and chive scones

Home-made cheese and chive scone, sliced with cheddar and butter | H is for Home

Cheese and chive scones are on the menu for this week’s Cakes & Bakes.

Grated mature Cheddar cheese | H is for Home Chopped chives on a wooden chopping board with sharp knife | H is for Home

They’re easy to make – and have a very good effort versus reward ratio!

Pouring buttermilk into cheese and chives scones mixture | H is for Home

Grated cheese and chopped chives are added to a standard scone mix (a useful ‘go to’ recipe that can be tweaked and adapted for many uses). Cut into the desired size & shape – and baked for about 15 minutes. What could be easier for a bit of home baking?

Shaping cheese and chive scones using a fluted circular metal pastry cutter | H is for Home Brushing buttermilk on to the tops of uncooked cheese and chive scones | H is for Home

They smell delicious as they come out of the oven – and look tempting as they sit on their cooling rack. Too tempting! Don’t worry though, you can tuck in almost straight away if you feel the urge. We like ours with a smear of butter – and perhaps a thin slice of cheddar to boost the cheesiness! Goats cheese, red Leicester, Gruyère and Camembert have also worked well during our extensive experimentations.

Cooked cheese and chive scones cooling on a wire rack | H is for Home

They’re a perfect light meal or snack at any time of day.

Click here to save my recipe to Pinterest

Home-made cheese and chive scone, sliced with cheddar and butter | H is for Home
Cheese and chive scones
Yields 12
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 350g/12oz self-raising flour
  2. ½tsp bicarbonate of soda
  3. ½tsp cream of tartar
  4. pinch of salt
  5. 300ml/10½ fl oz buttermilk
  6. 75g/2½oz grated cheese (I used a mature cheddar)
  7. 2tbsp finely chopped chivesHome-made cheese chive scones ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 225ºC/440ºF/gas mark 7
  2. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large mixing bowl
  3. Stir in the grated cheese and chopped chives
  4. Make a well in the centre
  5. Reserve about 2tbsp of the buttermilk before adding the rest to the flour
  6. Bring together to form a fairly wet dough, trying not to mix or knead too much
  7. Flour a work surface well before gently patting the dough to about 4cm thick
  8. Form rounds using a large, fluted cookie/pastry cutter
  9. Place the rounds on the baking tray leaving a little space between each
  10. Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved buttermilk
  11. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops have turned a light golden brown
  12. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack
  13. Serve while still warm
Notes
  1. Slice in half horizontally, butter each half generously and top with a thin slice of cheddar
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H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Camembert bread wreath

Home-made Camembert bread wreath | H is for Home

What a great find this Camembert bread wreath recipe is! A few simple ingredients, straightforward process, delicious results! It comes courtesy of Jamie Oliver and it’s immediately gone into our “favourite breads” file.

Ball of bread dough | H is for Home Ball of bread dough, doubled in size | H is for Home

Preparation time is about 3 hours from start to finish, however the majority of this is proving time, so you can get on with other things while the dough proves.

Camembert round pierced with sliced garlic and sprigs of fresh rosemary | H is for Home

It’s a very flexible dish – perfect to serve at a drinks party, barbecue or sit-down dinner party. Served on its own or on the side of salads or pasta dishes. It looks fabulous when presented – and fills the room with hunger-inducing aromas.

12 small dough balls with round of Camembert at the centre | H is for Home 12 small dough balls - doubled in size - with round of Camembert at the centre | H is for Home

Easy, warm, tear & share bread dipped in the garlic & herb-infused melted cheese… stupendous! We wish we had ‘smell & taste-vision’ to offer you. This will become an oft repeated bread for us – we hope you can give it a go too!

A bite of bread with melted rosemary & garlic-infused Camembert | H is for Home

Home-made Camembert bread wreath | H is for Home

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Camembert bread wreath
Serves 4
Prep Time
2 hr 45 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
3 hr 15 min
Prep Time
2 hr 45 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
3 hr 15 min
Ingredients
  1. 400g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  2. 3.5g of dried yeast
  3. ½tsp salt
  4. 500ml tepid water
  5. 1 Camembert cheese round
  6. A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
  7. 1 clove of garlic
  8. A few glugs of olive oil
  9. ½tsp coarse ground or flaked saltHome-made Camembert bread wreath ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Put the flour, yeast and teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a food processor / stand mixer fitted with the dough hook
  2. Gradually pour in the water and combine for a few minutes until it comes together into a ball
  3. Leave the lid on/cover with a plastic bag and prove in a warm place for 1½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size
  4. Line a large, circular baking tray/casserole dish with greaseproof paper and dust lightly with flour Remove the box base from the Camembert round and place it in the centre of the tray/dish
  5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces
  6. Roll each piece into a ball and place on the tray, building around the Camembert box to create your wreath shape
  7. Cover with a damp tea towel and allow it to prove for another hour
  8. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
  9. Unwrap the Camembert round from its paper cover and cut the rind off the top leaving a 1cm rim (reserve the box for baking)
  10. Pick the tips off one of the rosemary sprigs and poke them into the top of the cheese
  11. Peel & finely slice the clove of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and poke these in too
  12. Sprinkle the cheese with a pinch of salt and black pepper, then pop it back into its box in the centre of the wreath
  13. Pick the tips off the other rosemary sprig and dot them between the dough balls
  14. Sprinkle with the coarse/flaked salt and drizzle with olive oil
  15. Place the bread wreath in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the Camembert is gooey and the bread is risen and golden
  16. Remove from the oven and brush with a little olive oil before serving
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Adapted from Jamie's Quick & Easy Christmas
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/