Watercress and Lancashire Cheese Bread

45 minutes - 50 minutes

Makes 1 loaf

Vegetarian

This recipe is taken from Delia's Christmas Easy Magazine, 2003

This blissfully easy bread recipe is crunchy and crusty on the outside but soft and squidgy within.

It is a treat served warm from the oven but can also be made ahead an re-heated. It even freezes well.

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Method

All you do is sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the watercress, two-thirds of the cheese, the spring onions and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Then, thinly pare off the potato skin using a potato peeler and, using the coarse side of a grater, grate the potato straight into the flour. Now, using a palette knife, give everything a really good mix. Beat the egg and milk together and gradually add it all to the mixture until you have a loose, rough dough. Now transfer it to the baking tray and, still keeping the rough texture, pat it gently into a 6 inch (15 cm) round with your hands. Next, lightly press the rest of the cheese over the surface, sprinkle with a little flour and bake the bread on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until golden-brown.

Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with Watercress and Buttermilk Vichyssoise (see below)

To make this recipe gluten-free: This recipe also works well using gluten-free self-raising white flour. Or use plain gluten-free flour and simply add 11/2 teaspoons of gluten-free baking powder when you sift the flour