Nothing quite comforts the soul the way bread does. The aroma of baking bread alone sends one’s mood soaring. Not to mention the delight of scoffing those first warm slices with lashings of butter and maybe a dollop of jam.
Buttermilk bread
This bread was predominant on the West Coast as a side dish accompanying fried snoek. It was eaten warm, fresh out of the oven, spread with butter and apricot jam. Mmm indeed.
For one loaf, you’ll need 875 ml self-raising flour, sifted; 5 ml salt; 500 ml buttermilk; and 60 ml water.
Method: Preheat oven to 180oC. Place all ingredients except the water in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon to a slack dough. Rinse the buttermilk container with the water and add to the dough. Turn out into a greased loaf pan until it’s three-quarters full. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
As a variation, replace the buttermilk with 340 ml beer.
