Leek & bacon bread

Ingredients     1 leek, 3 slices bacon, 350g wholemeal flour, 150g plain flour (plus more for dusting), 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 400ml Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt

Serves: 8 Preparation: 1 hour

This is one of the most intensely savoury smelling breads I've ever created - the leek and bacon are a perfect combination and the yoghurt helps it to form a beautiful rustic crust. Perfect with soup or for Welsh rarebit.


1) Sift the flours together and add the bicarbonate of soda.


2) Finely dice the leek and cut the bacon into lardons, trimming off all of the fat.


3) Stir through the yoghurt, leek and bacon little by little until a soft, sticky dough is formed. You can use a food processor but I find it makes the bread quite dense.

4) Form a rough ball with the dough dust with flour and slash the top, or press into a loaf tin. (personally I think it looks awful - picture above - in a loaf tin and makes a much better looking round) Bake on a baking sheet for 30-45 minutes until a good crust has formed and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it. Allow the bread to cool completely before diving in as it will remain quite moist when hot and you'll cause a soggy layer if you slice too soon.

Multiseed bagels

Ingredients      5 cups wholemeal bread flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 100g mixed seeds, 3 cups warm water.

Serves: 8 Preparation: 1 hour and a half.

I love bagels - they're so versatile and can be topped with virtually anything, savoury or sweet. These multiseed bagels are a healthier nod to breakfast. They're gorgeously crunchy when toasted and taste great with hummus!

1) In one bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and warm water and set aside to stand for 5 minutes.

2) In a second bowl sift the flour and salt and seeds and add to the yeast mixture bit by bit whilst hand mixing (I mix with one hand and pour with the other but you might want to ask someone to help you, or use the dough setting on your blender if you have one) once the mixture begins to form a ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl without sticking you have the right consistency. Adding more flour may be necessary.

3) Once the dough forms a good ball, kneed on a floured surface for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, covered for an hour until it has risen to double its size.

4) Divide the dough into 8 pieces (half, half and half again!) and form balls. Set aside to rise further for 30 minutes.

5) Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch a hole through the dough and stretch until you leave a sort of gaping hole at least double the size of the usual bagel hole. Set them aside to rest for 10 minutes whilst you bring a pan of water to the boil.

6) Using a large slotted spoon or a fish slice drop the bagels one at a time into the water. They should sink to the bottom but then quickly begin to float like dumplings. The rule of thumb is that as soon as they float, they're ready but some recipes suggest leaving them to float for 2,3 sometimes 4 minutes!

7) Remove them from the water with the spoon and set them aside to cool a little and drain. Whisk one egg and using a pastry brush, glaze the bagel and sprinkle with more seeds, then bake for 25-30 minutes in the oven.

Once the bagels are ready allow to cool then slice and toast! Traditionally served with butter or cream cheese but personally I'm a sucker for hummus!

Carrot & coriander bread

Ingredients  1 carrot, handful of chopped coriander, 500g wholemeal flour, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 150ml  cream cheese, 125ml milk.

Serves: 8 Preparation: 1 hour


This bread has a wonderful flavour and makes great toast because the carrot makes it a bit "stodgy" so it gets a fabulous crunch to it. Gorgeous to dip into my carrot and cranberry soup.



1) Sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and grate the carrot into it. Stir well until each piece of carrot is coated in flour.

2) Finely chop the coriander and stir in to the flour mix.

3) Stir through the cream cheese and add the milk little by little until a soft, sticky dough is formed.

4) Form a rough ball with the dough and dust with flour, or set in a loaf tin. Slice a line down the top with a knife and bake on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or until a good crust has formed which sounds hollow when you tap it.

Courgette & pistachio bread

Ingredients  1 courgette, handful of pistachios, 500g wholemeal flour, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 150ml  marscapone, 125ml milk, juice and zest of 1 lemon.

Serves: 8 Preparation: 1 hour


This bread manages to be at once light and spongy in the centre and incredibly crusty - I couldn't believe what a fabulous crust this formed from the texture of the nuts which also gave this enough flavour for me not to need to add any salt to the mix.



1) Sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and grate the courgette into it. Stir well until each piece of courgette is coated in flour.

2) Finely dice the pistachios (this took me about 25 minutes so a quicker option would be to crush them in a mortar and pestle!) then stir in to the flour mix.


3) Zest the lemon and stir into the flour mix, then squeeze the juice from the lemon and stir that through too.

4) Stir through the marscapone and add the milk little by little until a soft, sticky dough is formed.

5) Form a rough ball with the dough and dust with flour, or set in a loaf tin. Slice a line down the top with a knife and bake on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or until a good crust has formed which sounds hollow when you tap it.

Pumpkin & walnut bread

Ingredients  1 1/2 cups wholemeal bread flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 cup/240ml pumpkin, 1/2 cup /240ml   butter, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp   cinnamon, 1/2 cup walnuts. (Optional - 2 cups sugar)

Serves: 12 slices Preparation: 2 hours


At this time of year I go pumpkin crazy, making soup, bread, pasta dishes and pies. I even made pumpkin chips last year but the least said about that the better... this bread can be made sweet or savoury and is equally glorious. It's also something I always make at the same time as pumpkin soup because it only requires a small amount of pumpkin. Waste not want not!


1) Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and pith with a spoon. Make sure all the stringiness has been removed. Peel away the skin with a chef's knife and cut the flesh into cubes. 


2) Roast in the oven in an ovenproof dish with a lid for 50 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the roast pumpkin and blend until smooth. 


3) Sieve away the excess juice - this, along with the juice in the ovenproof dish should make about a pint of liquid. The liquid remaining from this recipe, along with the rest of the pumpkin puree is perfect for Pumpkin Soup.


4) Sift together the flour, salt, spices, nuts and baking soda. (if you are making sweet pumpking bread, add the sugar at this stage)


5) Melt the butter and mix into 1 cup of the pumpkin puree. Beat in the eggs and 1/4 cup of the pumpkin juice.


6) Combine the wet and dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Pour into a loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes at 180 degrees or until a skewer comes out clean.

Carrot & walnut bread

Ingredients 1 carrot, handful of walnuts, 350g plain flour, 150g wholemeal flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 300ml Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt, 125ml milk.

Serves: 8 Preparation: 2 hours

This is one of my favourite breads - it's light and rich with flavour, makes amazingly crunchy toast and goes absolutely perfectly with my pumpkin soup.


1) Mix the flours together and add the salt and bicarbonate of soda.


2) Grate the carrot and finely dice the walnuts then add in to the flour mix.


3) Stir through the yoghurt and add the milk little by little until a soft, sticky dough is formed.

4) Form a rough ball with the dough and dust with flour. Bake on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or until a good crust has formed which sounds hollow when you tap it.

Apple & cinnamon French Toast

Ingredients Wholemeal bread flour, cinnamon,   baking soda, eggs, vegetable oil,    apple sauce, muscovado sugar, vanilla essence, icing sugar, maple syrup, butter

Serves: 1 Preparation: 10 minutes

After making my apple & cinnamon bread I knew there was only one way to serve this... and it turned out to be one of my more perfect recipes.


1) Slice the apple & cinnamon loaf to about 1.5 cm thickness and dip in whisked egg.


2) Melt half a teaspoon of butter in a frying pan and drop the slice of bread into the pan.


3) Toast the bread, turning frequently. When you notice the steam puffing out the bread a little you will have achieved the fluffy yet crispy texture that makes French toast so glorious.


4) Serve dusted with icing sugar and drizzled with maple syrup

Apple & cinnamon bread

Ingredients    1½ cups wholemeal bread flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon   baking soda, 2 eggs, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 cups apple sauce, 2   tablespoons muscovado sugar.

Serves: 10 Preparation: 1 hour

I'm not a great baker - my skills lie in making bread, pastry, pasta, dumplings... cakes and biscuits are always risky experiments for me but I do continue to try until I get it right! This recipe was inspired by some apple and raisin toast that a friend of mine enjoyed recently and turned out to be a lovely combination of flavours.

1) Sift together the flour and baking soda in a bowl.


2) Whisk the 2 eggs, muscovado sugar and cinnamon in a seperate bowl, then gradually add the flour and baking soda, whisking in the vegetable oil to ensure the mixture does not become too dry.


3) To make the apple sauce: peel, core and dice the apples and cook in a pan with 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Allow to cool and whisk the apple sauce in with the bread mixture and transfer to a loaf tin.


4) I like to caramelise the top of the loaf so mixed a teaspoon of cinnamon with a teaspoon of muscovado sugar and half a teaspoon of vanilla essence, then crumbled this mixture over the top of the bread batter.


5) Bake for 50 minutes at 200 degrees, or until a skewer comes out clean and leave to cool. For a great serving suggestion, check out my French toast recipe!

Spinach & nutmeg bagels

Ingredients 5 cups wholemeal bread flour, 1 egg, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 100g spinach, 3 cups warm water.

Serves: 8 Preparation: 1 hour and a half.

I love bagels - they're so versatile and can be topped with virtually anything, savoury or sweet. Sometimes however I like to make more of the bagel than the filling and that's what inspired these wholemeal, spinach bagels. They're gorgeously crunchy when toasted and have a lovely flavour.

1) In one bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and warm water and set aside to stand for 5 minutes.


2) In a second bowl sift the flour, salt and chopped spinach leaves together and add to the yeast mixture bit by bit whilst hand mixing (I mix with one hand and pour with the other but you might want to ask someone to help you, or use the dough setting on your blender if you have one) once the mixture begins to form a ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl without sticking you have the right consistency. Adding more flour may be necessary.


3) Once the dough forms a good ball, kneed on a floured surface for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, covered for an hour until it has risen to double its size.


4) Divide the dough into 8 pieces (half, half and half again!) and form balls. Set aside to rise further for 30 minutes.


5) Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch a hole through the dough and stretch until you leave a sort of gaping hole at least double the size of the usual bagel hole. Set them aside to rest for 10 minutes whilst you bring a pan of water to the boil.


6) Using a large slotted spoon or a fish slice drop the bagels one at a time into the water. They should sink to the bottom but then quickly begin to float like dumplings. The rule of thumb is that as soon as they float, they're ready but some recipes suggest leaving them to float for 2,3 sometimes 4 minutes!


7) Remove them from the water with the spoon and set them aside to cool a little and drain. Grate half a nutmeg and whisk into one egg. Using a pastry brush, glaze the bagel and bake for 25-30 minutes in the oven.


Once the bagels are ready allow to cool then slice and toast! Traditionally served with butter or cream cheese but personally I'm a sucker for hummus on spinach bagels!

Peshwari Naan

Ingredients 250g wholemeal flour, 2 tsp caster sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 150ml Rachel's Organic coconut yoghurt, 2 tbsp butter, 35g sultanas.

1) Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, stir in the melted butter and the coconut yoghurt.


2) Kneed for 10 minutes, adding extra flour if it's too sticky.


3) Leave the dough in a covered, oiled bowl somewhere warm for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.


4) Knock the dough back and separate into 5 balls.


5) Roll out each dough ball and fold each in half - pinch the edges together with water and grill on a pizza stone/hot baking tray until brown spots form.

Chilli chai teacakes

Ingredients 225 strong white bread flour, 225      strong wholemeal flour, 55g butter  cut into small pieces, 7g yeast, 30g   caster sugar, 170g dried fruits,  300ml milk, salt, 2 teapigs chilli chai teabags.

Teapigs make, without a doubt the best tea I have ever tasted - unlike most tea it comes in tea temples (little silk bags, not paper) and contains real tea-leaves (not dust). Gorgeous tea also makes gorgeous teacakes so give Teapigs a try.


1) Warm 300ml milk and add 2 chilli chai tea temples to infuse in the milk.


2) Sift together the 2 flours, yeast and a pinch of salt and rub in the butter.


3) Stir through the dried fruits (I used cranberry, sultana and raisins) and make a well in the centre of the bowl. Pour in the tea infused milk and mix through until a dough is formed.


4) Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth, then set to rest somewhere warm in a covered bowl for 2 hours (or until the dough has doubled in size)


5) Knock back the dough and knead again for a further 5 minutes on a floured surface before separating into 8 dough balls. Leave to rise for an hour before baking for 15 minutes.


These teacakes will keep for 2-3 days but are best toasted and eaten the same day.