I received some money from Santa to buy a Le Creuset pot. It took a while, but a couple of weekends ago we went to Bicester Village (a luxury fashion retail outlet) to purchase a 24cm cast iron round casserole dish (at 30% off, I should add). Ever since I’d asked for the Le Creuset pot, I knew the first recipe I wanted to try was the ‘no knead dutch oven’ bread, such as Jo Cook’s recipe. This was the first time in a long time that I’ve attempted to make bread. Despite having the flu (again), I peeled myself from bed because I MUST BAKE FOR THE BLOG! This Mediterranean Cheese Bread was a delicious success.
I put my own spin on this bread, opting for the addition of olives, sun dried tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. This bread is amazing! It has a crispy, chewy crust and tastes reminiscent of sourdough. The only downside is that it takes 12-18 hours to prove! I had wanted to eat it with the chili we were having on Monday night, but I didn’t actually put it in the oven until Tuesday morning. However, it was worth the wait. Next time I’m going to experiment with raisins, cinnamon, and walnuts for a breakfast variation. 🙂
Prepare the day before you want to eat it!
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water, room temperature
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. chopped black olives
1 tbsp. sun dried tomatoes in oil (remove excess oil)
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and yeast together. Pour the water into the bowl and use a spatula to mix it. I had to use my hands to fully incorporate. Add the cheese, olives, and sun dried tomatoes, and mix with your hands until incorporated.
Cover the bowl with cling film and let it sit on the counter for 12-18 hours (I waited 18).
Preheat the oven to 450F (232C). Add the Le Creuset pot to the oven and heat it until the oven gets to temperature. Note: I switched the black handle my pot came with to a stainless steel one for high temperature.
Carefully remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the bottom of the pot.
Flour your hands well and sprinkle some flour over the dough. With floured hands, gently remove the dough from the bowl and roughly shape it into a ball (mine ended up a bit odd-shaped). Take the ball of dough and drop it into the pot. Cover the pot with the lid and place back in the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, and then remove the lid and bake for a further 15-20 minutes (mine took 15).
Remove the bread from the pot and cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing. Tastes great toasted! Let me know if you try making this Mediterranean Cheese Bread!
For more bread recipes see: A Guide to Sourdough Bread for Beginners and No Knead Seeded Crusty Bread
Reader Comments