Jamie Oliver's Rye Soda Bread

written by Tamara Styer

I grew up making bread. I can still remember sitting with my knees on a chair pulled up to the kitchen table while my mom showed me how to make braids out of dough and then bake them into shiny, golden rolls that were crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside.

I also remember going to Grandma’s after school and drizzling local clover honey on a piece of oatmeal bread fresh from the bread machine.

However you do it, making your own bread is both easy and gratifying. It can make a hearty wheat bread taste like heaven, even when you’re a white bread fan. And with the addition of fresh toppings like sliced avocado, tomato, fresh basil and peppered ricotta cheese, it’s a meal in the making.

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver‘s book, Everyday Super Food. Not only will this book teach you about making healthy whole foods at home, it will shatter any preconceived notions that healthy food is bland or tasteless. Every recipe I’ve tried out of this book is simply delectable, and has taught me so much about real, nourishing food. This crusty, dense, moist whole grain and rye bread is super quick, super easy and super tasty!

Jamie Oliver’s Rye Soda Bread Recipe

Serves 6        Bake 350°F        40 -45 mins

1  3/4 cups whole-grain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 cup rye flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 large egg

1  1/4 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place both flours, the oats, baking soda, and 1 level teaspoon of sea salt in a large bowl and mix together. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk or yogurt together, then use a fork to stir the egg mixture into the flour. Once it starts to come together, use your lightly floured clean hands to pat and bring the dough together.

Shape the dough into a round ball and place on a lightly floured baking sheet, dusting the top lightly with flour too. Use your hands to flatten the dough into a disk, roughly 1  1/4 inches deep. Score a cross or star into the top with a knife, about 1/4 inch deep, then bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a firm crust has formed and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Transfer to a wire cooling rack, and serve slightly warm.

We couldn’t stop eating this hot out of the oven. It was delicious plain, and paired wonderfully with slices of creamy avocado, ripe tomato, fresh basil and a dollop of ricotta cheese topped with fresh cracked black pepper. And of course we slathered some slices with butter! Undeniably decadent. We can’t wait to try it dunked in a bowl of hot soup!

You could use any toppings you like, though, such as local honey, jam, or any of the combinations that Jamie Oliver recommends in Everyday Super Food. It’s a perfect base for any breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Jamie Oliver Recommends:

Sliced tomatoes, Swiss cheese & black pepper

Light cream cheese, cherry tomatoes & fresh basil

Cottage cheese, soft-boiled egg, paprika & scallions

Wilted spinach & cottage cheese

Grated cucumber & cottage cheese with smoked salmon

Light cream cheese, cherries & cinnamon

Light cream cheese, cucumber & hot chili sauce

Plain yogurt, banana & cinnamon

Check out more Jamie Oliver recipes at his website jamieoliver.com, and purchase Everyday Super Food at Amazon.com!

Comment below with the toppings you used on your own homemade rye soda bread!

Tamara Styer is the Editor-In-Chief of Branson Foodie Magazine and Deitra Magazine.