About this bread
Recipe #14 Bacon and Stilton Loaf is another bread that originated from Paul Hollywood’s 100 Great Breads. Crispy bacon and tangy stilton cheese make this bread delicious and something special. But please note, this bread is neither quick nor easy, unlike Whole Wheat Soda Bread, the Best Banana Bread, or even the Crusty Cottage Loaf. But it is worth the trouble because it’s something special. Paul Hollywood got the recipe from a Michelin starred restaurant (not that I’ve ever been to one but it sounds impressive). I baked it three times before adding in the other ingredients to make sure I knew what I was doing. Even without the bacon or stilton, it is my son’s favorite bread because of flavor and crispiness when toasted.
Here’s what you need to know before baking a bacon and stilton loaf:
- Start this the night before.
- Mix 3/4 cup flour, the yeast, and 1/2 cup warm water until combined. Leave it in a warm place overnight. It starts out thick but becomes like a sticky glue by the next day.
- Add this gluey starter to the remainder of the flour, salt, and water. You should end up with a dough that is just a tiny bit sticky.
- Follow the recipe for the remaining steps
- The final bread is porous, kind of like a ciabatta, and has a nice flavor from the fermentation of the dough. The bacon and stilton add lots of flavor and are great with soup, as a sandwich, or with dinner.
Bacon and Stilton Loaf
Ingredients
- 4 cups white bread flour (I used regular since that's all I had. It worked fine)
- 2 cups water
- 1½ tablespoons instant yeast
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 4 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled
- 4 ounces chopped and fried bacon (the weight is AFTER cooking)
Instructions
The night before:
- Put 3/4 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup of the water, and yeast in a bowl and mix well. Beat for 5 minutes. Let rise in a warm place overnight.
The next day:
- The dough will be fermented and smell a bit like beer. It will look like a thick gluey mixture.
- Add the remaining flour, water, and salt. Mix until you have a nice, cohesive dough. Knead for five minutes.
- Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough in two. Split the bacon and stilton and add to each of the pieces of dough, then shape into circles and place place on a lined baking sheet.
- Let dough prove for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Dust loaves with flour and bake 30 minutes.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
