Caroline's Cheese & Onion Bread recipe

Following Caroline Whiteman's bread recipe in the June/July issue of the magazine, if you fancy trying something different - try your hand at this variation....​

Ingredients

1 onion

Small glug of oil.

450g/1 lb strong flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

A little black pepper

150ml/¼ pint milk

150ml/¼ pint warm water

15g/½oz fresh yeast OR
1 sachet easyblend yeast

170g/6 oz grated cheese

Method

1 Peel and chop the onion. Fry it in a little oil until it softens, then set aside.

2 Meanwhile, sift the flour, sugar, mustard. pepper and salt into a large bowl.

3 Combine the milk and water in a jug.

4 If using fresh yeast, put it into a small bowl or cup and mix with a little of the milk and water, till it is dissolved. If using easyblend, mix it with the flour.

5 Put a little cheese aside for the topping. Add the onions and the rest of the cheese to the flour mixture and combine. Make a well in the middle of the flour, and pour in the milk mixture. Mix together to form a dough. If it is too dry, add a little more water.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead thoroughly. Put it back into the bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave it somewhere warm, until it doubles in size.

Grease a large loaf tin (or two small ones). Preheat the oven to 210°C, or gas 7.

8  Take the dough out of the bowl and knead again to knock out all the bubbles

9  Place it in the prepared tin, cover again and leave it to rise a second time.

10 When it has doubled in size, sprinkle with the reserved cheese, put it into the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.

11 Tap the base of the loaf – if it sounds hollow, it is done. If not, put back in the oven for a few more minutes.

12  Cool on a rack.