Caramelised Garlic & Feta Loaf
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1.5 cups lukewarm water (or thereabouts, you may need more or you may need less depending on your flour)
- Garlic oil for coating and frying (I had lots of garlic oil from the garlic confit)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
- 125g/4ozs. feta cheese, crumbled
Step 1 - Mix the flour and yeast together and add the water. Mix together with a spatula until you get a wet-tish mixture and then scrape the sides to get all the flour and dough off. Oil a large bowl with garlic oil and place in the bowl. Turn over so that the ball of dough is covered with oil on all sides. Cover with cling film and rest in the fridge or on the benchtop for 12 hours. I've done it at around 9pm at night and had it ready at 9am the next morning.
Step 2 - Smash the garlic with the knife - lean the knife flat on its side on the garlic and put your weight on it. This makes it easier to peel it and you spread the garlic a little too. Fry the whole garlic cloves on medium to high with garlic oil until starting to soften (about 6-8 minutes or so). Add the sugar to the garlic and stir. Set aside to cool.
Step 3 - Have a chux or a teatowel with plenty of flour or polenta on it ready - you don't want just a light sprinkling of flour or polenta, you want more as it is quite a sticky dough. Remove the dough from the fridge and knead with the salt. Add the garlic cloves and crumbled feta and shape into a round. Allow to rise for 1 hour.
Step 4 - Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 240C/464F. Place a cast iron pot or another oven proof lidded pot into the oven to preheat it. When it is ready, add a tablespoon of garlic oil to the pot and then place the ball of proofed dough. Be careful - do not lift the lid without a mitt. Place the lid back on and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes until golden.