This herbed tomato bread uses no yeast and is vegan. It’s ready in 45 minutes and smells absolutely delicious, just like pizza (be still my beating heart). The crust has the perfect amount of chew, and the tomato and herb-scented interior is springy but not dry. Just moist enough, and packed with rich umami flavours.

When I was a teenager I absolutely adored the tomato bread you were able to buy in Superquinn in Ireland. I used to inhale it toasted with melted cheddar, tomato and onions, open-faced sandwich style. Lately (I have no idea why) I have definitely been hankering and obsessing over that bread.

So of course, to get the information I needed for my tomato bread fix, I went to the internet. I couldn’t find the right bread recipe, just a million pages about Spanish tomato bread (toasted bread with tomatoes and olive oil on it), bread with some tomatoes in it, or a pale version of what I was looking for. Plus, I wanted this bread to be yeast free because I knew I’d have to test a lot of versions of it (not a naturally gifted baker here….) and didn’t want to spend half my life waiting for different batches of dough to rise.

It took me about seven batches to get it right. When I was down to the last two, I took pity on my tomato-bread-stuffed husband and children, and my tomato-bread-stuffed fridge and freezer, and forced my workmates to be my guinea pigs.

Some crazy people (hint, not me) ate it without anything on it and loved it. It is probably tasty enough to eat on it’s own, but I’d recommend it with hummus, smashed avocado, toasted with margarine, as the base for open-faced sandwiches… I would also highly recommend grilling cheddar, onions, and tomatoes on it. Or mozzarella and pesto, the non-vegan versions if you are vegetarian. It’s also amazing for dipping in creamy soups.

Let this bread cool completely (if you can wait that long) before attempting to cut it or it will crumble, and it’s much easier to slice thinly the next day. It will keep for up to five days wrapped in cling film in the fridge, and freezes really well.

Enjoy!

Yield: 6

Herbed Tomato Bread

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This tasty tomato and herb bread comes together in 45 minutes, is vegan, and requires no rising time.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 175 g plain white flour
• 200 g wholemeal flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1.5 tsp dried garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried onion powder

Wet Ingredients

• 50 ml olive oil, approximately 1/4 cup
• 30 ml soy milk or non-dairy milk of choice
• 365 ml tinned pureed tomatoes, or tinned chopped tomatoes that you have blended
• 35 ml tomato paste/purée, the kind that comes in a small tin or tube
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the over to 180C fan/200C and mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until very well blended. The dough will be wet and sticky.
4. Grease a loaf pan with a little olive oil or margarine.
5. Tip in the wet-dry mixture and use a wooden spoon to smooth it flat and make sure the dough gets into the corners.
6. Pop in the oven for 35 minutes on a shelf in the lower third of the oven.
7. Check it's done by inserting a skewer into the middle, and if any wet dough is on it, bake it in five minute increments until completely done.
8. Allow to cool down in the loaf pan, covered with a damp kitchen towel or clean cloth.

As always, you can also find a ton of other tasty recipes in the #CookBlogShare recipe link up, which this week is hosted by Casa Costello, and features five spicy curry dishes as well as other beautiful linked-up recipes.

• The Epic Vegan Frozen Desserts List 2019
• The Ultimate Vegan Coleslaw
• Flourless Chocolate Chili Cookies
• Peri Peri Sauce
• Lemon Rice with Coconut