Fresh White Bread with Baked Camembert

I am busy editing all my posts on my food24 blog from the last year – a good excercise,  like re-writing one’s recipe book!  Here’s one from about this time last year which was delicious, and definitely a keeper: 

I had been looking for a white bread recipe for a while,  eventually just decided to adapt my seed bread recipe, and it worked really well.   I also had a camembert cheese in the fridge, which I planned to bake and serve with the homemade bread. 

The combination was just amazing – after all, two of my favourite foods in all the world are freshly baked white bread and cheese – any cheese!!!! So how could this go wrong? 

Imagine gooey melted camembert with a hint of herbs and sweetness, scooped onto pieces of hot,  freshly buttered white bread…YUM.  Here’s how to get this delicious-ness yourself.

Milk Loaf

3 ½ cups cake flour

5 mls salt

1 sachet instant yeast

30 mls syrup or sugar

60 mls oil or melted butter

200 mls warm milk

200 mls warm water

• Mix the dry ingredients, stir in the oil and syrup, add the milk and mix until blended.  
• Turn out onto a clean surface, knead until smooth and elastic.  If you have small hands like me, this takes longer :).  Relax and take the time to work the dough until it is beautiful and silky, and just springs back when you stretch it.
• Place the dough in a bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm to rise, until at least double in size.

• Turn out again, and knead briefly once more.  
• Divide the dough into three pieces, roll and stretch each piece into a long sausage. 
• Pinch the three pieces together firmly at one end and plait them, pinching the other end together as well.  
• Place the plaited loaf onto a greased baking tray, cover with a clean tea-towel and leave to rise again. 
• When doubled, brush with a mixture of milk and egg, and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sesame seeds. 

Bake at 180°C until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it.

This went down a treat with the baked camembert cheese:  place the camembert in a ramekin.  Drizzle with a little honey, add a teaspoon of butter and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. 

Pop it in the oven until hot and melted.

 Enjoy!