Emmental Soda Bread

Faced with a block of Emmental that had languished in the fridge right up until its sell by date I knew I had to act fast and for some reason Soda Bread seemed the answer. For fun I googled to see if such a thing existed, it didn’t so at least I’ve cornered this market! Emmental is a very mild and nutty cheese which I paired with a little Grana Padano and some English Mustard for a bit of extra oomph. As I happened to have a can of pear cider in the fridge I used this too and it really does compliment the cheese. I mixed strong wholemeal flour (because that’s what I had) with some plain white flour which gave a wonderful nutty crust. We had this with a bowl of soup and some cold food (and the rest of the Emmental) and the following day it made beautiful toast. If you wanted a stronger flavour you could use any other cheese but I think the Emmental worked well as it played a supporting role rather than dominating the flavour of the bread.

The trick with soda bread is to get it into the oven as quickly as you can since the raising agents start working once mixed with the cider. Don’t over-work your loaf or you’ll lose too many of those valuable gases giving you a denser loaf.

GreenPan Boston Oven Tray

I baked my Emmental Soda rBead on GreenPan’s Healthy Ceramic Non-stick oven tray which is part of their new eco friendly Boston Bakeware Collection. I have also tried out the square cake pan. Unlike traditional non-stick coatings the ceramic non-stick is PTFE, PFOA and Lead Cadmium free making it completely safe. If the surface gets scratched on ordinary non-stick harmful gases can be emitted when subjected to high temperatures so this green coating stops that. The professional grade, heavy gauge steel body is very apparent, you really feel like you’re handling the Rolls Royce of bake ware. Unlike other oven trays I’ve had there is no bending or warping in the oven as it is so sturdy and heavy.

Green Pan Boston Square Tin

The collection is energy efficient so you can bake on a lower temperature as it conducts the heat so well (which I now realise is why my Brownies got over baked in the square tin). So a saving on energy is a great plus point too. I did notice my roast potatoes seemed to cook a lot quicker than usual on the oven tray! I also love the large handles which are easy to grip and each pan has its size embossed in the middle of it. I can’t tell you the number of times I reach for my ruler in the kitchen! The non-stick worked excellently and the tins were easy to wash up with just a light going over with a sponge. The range comes with a 2 year guarantee. So like the pans I am now smitten with this new bakeware range with its eco credentials and superior quality. To see the entire range and prices head over to GreenPan.

As this my Emmental Soda Bread is made from scratch I am entering it into Javelin Warrior’s Made with Love Mondays event. I am also linking to Cheese Please run by Fromage Homage where the theme is comfort food and winter warmers, we found this bread very comforting slathered in butter still warm from the oven!

5 from 2 votes

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Emmental Soda Bread

A lovely nutty cheesy loaf perfect as an accompaniment to soup or cold food.

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 -10

Author Camilla

Ingredients

• 250 g Plain flour
• 250 g Wholemeal Strong Flour I used Marriages Very Strong
• 220 g Emmental grated
• 20 g Grana Padano grated
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp English mustard powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 400 ml Cider Apple or Pear

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C.
2. Mix the flours, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, mustard powder and salt together.
3. Mix in the grated cheeses.
4. Add the cider and bring the mixture together with a fork to form a dough.
5. Tip out onto a well floured work surface and knead for a minute
6. Shape into a dome, flour the surface and cut a deep cross into the top.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until the base sounds hollow when knocked.
8. Place loaf on a wire rack to cool.

Make a nice deep cross into your dough after flouring surface for a really good effect.