Cheese and cider cottage loaf

When I first moved to Dorset and started working for Leakers bakery in Bridport the first thing that was apparent about the county was the abundance of fantastic local ingredients available.

Caroline who owns Leakers bakery shares my love of good produce and her partner Paul has a passion for good cider. So between us this loaf was born and to me it captures the taste of dorset, using flour milled by Cann mills in Shaftesbury, cheese from Denhay in Bridport and a Cider from a local cider house making this loaf is a Dorset thoroughbread!!

Stage 1. For the sponge you will need 250g maltstar flour, 25g of fresh yeast,50g grated denhay chedder and 250ml of good local cider.

Put these all into a bowl and mix together until nice and frothy, cover with damp cloth and leave for 3 hours.

Stage 2. Uncover the sponge, should be doubled in size and bubbly.

Add 150g white organic flour and 10g of salt.

Mix by hand for 6-8mins until the dough is nice and elasticated and slightly firm to the touch.

Leave to rest for 1 hour.

Stage 3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 2 pieces making one piece twice the size as the other. Mould both pieces round, place the largest piece onto a lightly oiled tray. With your fingers make a hole in the middle of the dough, then push the smaller piece of dough into the hole(make sure you push through both pieces of dough) you should have a cottage shape.

Stage 4. Leave bread to rise for 40mins.

Turn oven on 230c or gas mark 7

For the glaze mix- 100g grated chedder, 50g maltstar flour and 50ml of cider. Mix in a bowl to form a thick glaze.

Your bread should now have doubled in size, gently smear the glaze over the whole of the loaf.
Place into the oven for 30- 35mins

Take out of the oven and leave to cool, serve with a hearty stew or enjoy on its own and celebrate a taste of Dorset.

If you have trouble finding the maltstar flour we sell it at our bakery, you can also buy it at Leakers Bakery and various Town mill bakeries!