Cooking With

Bird On The Wire

By Koen van Bommel.

Amsterdam’s indie-folk collective Bird on the Wire doesn’t deal in frills or tricks; just honest, good quality music. The same can be said of their recipe for this month’s Cooking With… They chose that staple food for almost every Dutchman’s breakfast and lunch: bread. But don’t be fooled; this is no ordinary bread. It’s a special bread they take on the road. The recipe comes from the group’s drummer, Nina, but that’s not the only thing that makes this bread stand out: according to vocalist Rosa Ronsdorf, it actually feels like cake. Also, it looks a little like you’ve spent two days preparing it, while the bread’s really a breeze to make. But why go through all the hassle of baking your own bread in the first place – aside from the fact that it’s tasty and makes your house smell wonderful? Rosa explains: ‘We live in Amsterdam-Noord, and there aren’t any good bakeries here. So if you live in a neighbourhood deprived of good bakeries – or maybe you just want to show off with an amazing home-made loaf – here’s how to go about it:

Nina’s Special Bread

300g oats
4 eggs (free range)
200ml water (or soy milk)
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt

sunflower seeds (a handful)
hazelnuts (a handful)
Topping:
1.5 tbsp linseeds
sesame seeds

How to make Nina’s special bread

• Put the oats in a large bowl and crack the eggs over them.

• Add water, baking powder, salt, sunflower seeds and hazelnuts and mix thoroughly.

• Place mixture into a cake form and sprinkle linseeds and sesame seeds over the top.

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for an hour

(Tip: eat it with eggplant salad and radish sprouts)

Bird on the Wire play on 27 December at De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members.