Cheese Twists
This recipe uses an old dough method that incorporates a piece of mature dough into a new piece of dough. Simply tear off a piece of dough from any white bread dough recipe after the first rise and pop it in the fridge for the following days cheese bread dough. The result is a more flavourful bread as the piece of old dough has had time to mature.
Step 1: Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut or tear the old dough into small pieces and add to the flour/salt mixture. Add the water and yeast and mix with your hands until it resembles a sticky mass.
Step 2: When all he flour is incorporated moved to a floured work top and knead for 7-8 minutes. The dough should be smooth, silky and spring back when poked with your finger.
Step 3: Place the dough into a clean lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and store in a warm draft free place until it has double of volume (approx. 2 hours)
Step 4: Remove the dough from the bowl, pat down and shape into a rectangle approx 15 x 30 cm (6 x 12 inches). Using a dough or pizza cutter cut the dough half horizontally and then cut each half into 4 equal pieces about 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide. Sprinkle the 8 pieces liberally with cheddar cheese.
Step 5: Take each piece of dough and twist it. Place 4 side by side and touching each other on a well floured dishtowel and cover. Do the same with the remaining 4 pieces. Let rise for a further 30 minutes.
Step 5: 30 minutes before baking set the oven to 200 C (390°F).
Step 6: Place each set of 4 twists on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and they sound hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool before eating.
Michael Clark
Michael is a banker with a love for bread. His desire was kindled by morning visits to a local bakery while holidaying in France. He was struck by the passion of the bakers and the simplicity of hand made bread— 4 ingredients; flour, salt, water and yeast. He soon found himself experimenting in his own kitchen, before recruiting a master baker to show him the ropes. Wanting a taste of the real thing, he traded his holidays for midnight shifts in one of Canada's leading artisan bread bakeries. To quote Michael, “there is nothing more satisfying then the solitude of waking up early, hand kneading the dough, smelling the aromas coming from the oven and then slathering a hot piece of bread with some delicious butter”. An avid traveler, he seeks out crusty loaves and the people who make them around world. When not working in The City, Michael can be found in his London kitchen or his local pub