Cheese and Garlic Plait Bread

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This recipe produces a show stopping bread. Not only does it look amazing, it tastes great too. And above all, it's not too difficult to make. This is probably the ideal bread to make on a lazy weekend while you're getting ready for a barbecue.



One of the good things about this recipe is that you can play around with it a little bit. So, feel free to mix and match the spices and cheeses once you've become familiar with it.

You'll need:
1 ¼ cups warm water
3 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon dried yeast
3 cups plain or bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
¾ cup grated cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan

Whisk sugar, yeast and warm water in a small basin. (Ensure the water is warm and not hot, otherwise you will be a yeast murderer! No one wants that title looming over their head). Set aside in a warm place until frothy.



Sift flour, salt, paprika, pepper and garlic powder into a large bowl.

Rub in butter until well incorporated. If rubbing in butter is an unfamiliar technique to you, what it involves is grabbing some butter and flour in between your fingers and thumb, lifting your hands above the bowl and rubbing it until it falls back into the bowl. Keep doing this until there and no lumps of butter left. (Nothing gives your thumbs more of a workout than doing this).

Add ½ cup of the grated cheese and the parmesan and mix well.
Add the frothy yeast mixture and mix to a dough. Add more water in small amounts if the dough looks dry.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or put it in a plastic bag and set in a warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.



Punch down dough and knead until it return to its original size.
Separate dough into three equal sized pieces and roll each piece into a 30cm long strand.

Plait the strands together, ensure you pinch the ends together well.

Place on a greased tray. Cover again and set in a warm place to double in size.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250& #730 ;C.

Once the dough has doubled in size, sprinkle on the rest of the grated cheese and bake in the very hot oven for 10 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 180& #730 ;C and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the bread is hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom and the yeast smell is gone.

I personally think this bread is best enjoyed with a good slathering of butter, and dipped in soup or left to clean the plate after a juicy meal.

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