Flowerpot Cheese & Mustard Bread
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
-
550grams bread flour
-
1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
-
1 tablespoon salt
-
280-300ml warm water
-
1 tablespoon butter
-
2 cups of coarsely grated cheese (whichever you prefer, cheddar is good with mustard)
-
2 tablespoons dijon or your favourite mustard
-
1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon milk
-
2 tablespoons oatmeal, poppy seeds or sesame seeds
-
2 large, clean, new flowerpots or several small ones
Step 1 - Firstly wash the flowerpots with plenty of hot water (no detergent) and leave upside down to drain.
Step 2 - In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, place flour, yeast and salt and mix together. Start dough hook and gradually pour water into the flour mixture until it starts to come together (about a minute or two). You don't want it fully incorporated just yet-it should look floury and "shaggy". Add tablespoon of butter, cheese and mustard and then keep kneading with the dough hook and it should now come together. Knead until elastic. You can do this by hand too with the basic kneading action.
Step 3 - Oil the bottom of the bowl and place the dough round in it and oil on top of the dough round and cover with cling wrap and place in a warm place (if it's too cold, I put the bowl in another bowl of warm water). Leave for 1 hour to rise.
Step 4 - Think of the most annoying person you know and clench your fist. Punch down the dough (rather satisfying isn't it?) and then knead for 1 minute again. Oil and line the inside of the flowerpots with baking paper. Divide the dough in half so that it fills 2/3 of the pot and leave to rise again in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Step 5 - Preheat the oven to 220c/428F. Once the dough has risen, brush top all over with eggy milk mixture and sprinkle oatmeal or seeds on top. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until the bread feels empty inside when knocked.