Potato, onion and rosemary bread
As with most bread, this requires a bit of proving time – but it's worth the wait. Eat your first slices warm and buttered. Any that survives is good with soup or stew. You could use finely sliced fennel or leeks instead of one of the onions, or add some chopped sundried tomatoes and/or black olives to the topping.
Ingredients
- 450g strong plain white flour
- 1 heaped tsp easy blend dried yeast
- pinch salt
- 15g butter
- 325ml milk
- 125-150g potato, grated weight (about 1 medium to large potato)
- 1 tbsp oil for frying, e.g. vegetable or sunflower
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- olive oil
Method
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Step 1
Put the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter, and using your fingertips and thumbs, rub it into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Gently heat the milk until it is lukewarm, then make a well in the flour mixture and gradually add the milk. Use a flat bladed knife to combine the mixture, then use your hands to bring it all together into a ball.
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Step 2
Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead well for 5 minutes. Put it in a clean bowl and cover it with a damp cloth, then leave it in a warm place to prove, for about an hour or so, until the dough has just about doubled in size.
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Step 3
While the bread is proving, cook the grated potato in a pan of salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, transfer to a bowl of cold water to rinse, drain again and leave to dry.
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Step 4
Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the onions and a good pinch of salt. Cook on a low heat for about 25-30 minutes, until very soft and golden, then leave to cool.
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Step 5
Turn the dough out of the bowl and 'knock it back' (punch it down so you feel the air coming out) then roughly knead. Roll out on a lightly floured work surface, to about 23 x 23cm (your dish size), then scatter over half the potato, rosemary and onions. Roll the sides of the dough up into a sausage shape so the potato mixture is in the middle.
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Step 6
Carefully turn it over so the seam is on the bottom and transfer to a lightly oiled tin (or baking dish), roughly 23x23cm. Use your palms to gently flatten it out. Scatter over the rest of the potatoes, onions and rosemary and sprinkle over some sea salt. Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas 7.
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Step 7
Cover the whole thing with a damp cloth and leave for 30 minutes, then bake for 15 minutes. Cover it loosely with foil to stop the onions burning, then cook for another 10-15 minutes more. Drizzle with a little good olive oil to serve.
