All rise! The court of public opinion has always held that there’s nothing better than a freshly baked loaf
Cheese and onion babka
MAKES 8-10 SLICES V HANDS-ON TIME 40 MINS TOTAL TIME 1 HR 35 MINS, PLUS RISING AND COOLING
With soft, herbed cheese swirling through an enriched bread dough, this savoury babka is delicious toasted and spread with butter.
80g butter 50ml whole milk 3 medium eggs 275g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust 1 x7g sachet fastaction dried yeast 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tsp fine sea salt oil to grease 1 tbsp sesame seeds
For the filling 2 shallots, diced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tbsp olive oil 3-4 tbsp chopped chives 50g Gruyère* or cheddar, finely grated 200g full-fat soft cheese
1 Melt the butter in a small pan, remove from the heat and add the milk. Beat 2 of the eggs and pour in the just-warm milk and butter mixture. In a large bowl, or stand mixer with a dough hook, mix the bread flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the liquid ingredients and bring together into a dough.
2 Knead for 10-15 minutes by hand, or 7 minutes if using a stand mixer, until the dough is smooth, slightly sticky and elastic. Put in a greased bowl, cover and leave to rise for 1½ to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
3 For the filling, gently fry the shallots and garlic in the olive oil for 8-10 minutes until softened. Cool, then stir in the chives and the grated and soft cheeses. Season well. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin (9cm x 19cm base).
4 Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a rectangle roughly 25cm x 35cm. Spread the filling all over the dough. Roll up tightly from the longer side, like a Swiss roll. Carefully wrap in baking paper, twisting the ends to secure, then chill for 30 minutes to firm up.
5 Unwrap the chilled dough, cut in half lengthways and turn each piece so the filling is facing upwards. Pinch the two pieces together at one end and twist to braid together, then pinch at the other end to secure. Gently push the two ends towards each other to make the loaf more compact. Ease it into the prepared loaf tin (it will seem too big, but it will fit). Cover and leave in a warm place to prove for 1 hour, or until the dough has risen (or see Get Ahead top right).
6 Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Beat the remaining egg and brush over the top of the loaf, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes initially then reduce the heat to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3½ and cook for a further 25-30 minutes until golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing. Leftovers keep for 1-2 days or can be frozen. Toast, or warm in a medium oven to refresh. *Use vegetarian cheese, if
