250g plain flour
10g of bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp of salt
150ml cider
50 ml of natural yoghurt
2 small tart dessert apples
1 bunch of fresh sage leaves picked and chopped
4 – 6 sprigs of thyme leaves stripped
20g of butter
50g of grated mature cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pre heat the oven to 200.c
Cut the apples into quarters and core them then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 wedges. Set a large heavy based frying pan over a medium heat, add the butter and when bubbling add the apple pieces. Cook for 5 – 6 minutes on each side. You want them to begin to soften and caramalise around the edges. Remove the apples and allow them to cool a little. Place all the dry ingredients into a bowl, add the apples, herbs and cheese (reserving a small amount for the top of the bread) the cider and the yoghurt. Bring the ingredients together gently into a wet Dough. You won’t need to knead it, in fact, the less you work it the better. You want a rough round of about 20cm across and 10cm deep.
With floured hands form the dough into a round, place the dough on a hot baking tray, scatter over a little flour and the remaining cheese and score deeply with the traditional cross.
Bake for 30 – 40 mins and serve hot straight from the oven.