Cheese Fondue Bread

cheesebreadthumb.jpgIt's just bread and cheese, but as you've never seen it before - this is an experimental recipe for baking a whole small soft cheese inside a loaf of bread.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 batch of basic bread dough
  • 1 Small soft cheese with intact rind (per person) - I used Pave D'Affinois cheeses, each about 150g
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Fresh herbs - your choice
  • 1 Teaspoon cider vinegar
  • (Optional) a couple of rashers of streaky bacon

Method:

cheesebread2.jpgMake the bread dough as directed here. After proving, divide it into four equal portions.

If, like me, you're only making this for two people, you can use the other half of the dough to make a small loaf, or pizza bases, etc.

cheesebread3.jpgFor each portion, prepare a small ovenproof dish by brushing the inside with oil, then dusting with flour (or semolina, or cornmeal).

cheesebread4.jpgRoll out a portion of bread dough on a well-floured surface - it doesn't have to be perfectly circular, just big enough to be able to eventually enclose the cheese.

Unwrap the cheese and place it in the centre of the rolled out dough.

cheesebread5.jpgPeel the garlic and slice it into thin slivers, then insert a few of them into thin slits stabbed into the rind of the cheese.

Drizzle a few small drops of cider vinegar onto the holes in the cheese. Sprinkle a pinch of chopped fresh herbs on top.

cheesebread6.jpgFold up the edges of the dough neatly to wrap the cheese, then turn it over and place it (folded side down) into the ovenproof dish.

cheesebread7.jpgRepeat for as many portions as you are making, then cover them with plastic film and leave for half an hour to rise.

Toward the end of this time, preheat your oven to 180C.

cheesebread8.jpgPlace on metal oven tray, just in case of spillage. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Leave to cool in the dishes for five minutes before turning out, then another five or ten minutes before serving.

(The little bread 'handles' you see here are just extra bits of dough I added to prevent the unsupported sides from collapsing, but this turned out to be unnecessary.)

Serve with crispy bacon, or a green salad, or olives. This is a substantial and filling dish, best eaten with the fingers and a knife - tear off bits of the bread and dip them into the cheese, or use the knife to scoop and spread the luscious melted cheese filling.

cheesebread1.jpg

Details

cheesebread10.jpgI used small Pave D'Affinois cheeses for this recipe, but it would work equally well with any small whole-rind soft cheese. It might even work with a whole Camembert baked into a larger crust, to be cut and divided between several people.

Herbs And Flavourings

cheesebread11.jpgThe subtle flavours of garlic, herbs and cider vinegar make this dish quite special. I used chives, sage and rosemary. Sherry or white wine could be used in place of the vinegar.

Inspiration

If you haven't already guessed, the idea for this recipe started out in two places - box-baked French cheese fondue (which is a popular recipe I didn't invent), plus my own recipe for edible bread bowls.