richard Regrettably, and I feel unreasonably, Tower Hamlets Council won’t let us keep sheep on the balcony so making our own feta cheese is out of the question. We do however have a healthy and ever-expanding mint plant and so at least were able to locally source half the ingredients in the title.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Skill level: Easy
Makes: 2 loaves
Recipe source: ‘The Accidental Vegetarian’ by Simon Rimmer
Ingredients
- strong white flour – 500g
- instant yeast – 7.5g
- warm water – 300ml
- feta cheese – crumbled – 175g
- mint – chopped – good handful
- caster sugar – 1 tsp
- salt – 2 tsp
- black pepper
- olive oil – 2 tbsp
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in half the water and leave for 5 minutes until it has a good 1/2 inch head.
Put the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and pour in the yeast mixture. Add enough of the remaining water to form a dough.
Place on a floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes.
return to the bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm, and leave somewhere warm for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Turn out on a floured surface and knock back.
Gradually knead in the feta, oil, mint and a twist of black pepper. Be patient as this takes a little while and can be messy.
Form into a round, place on an oiled baking sheet and loosely cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise for about an hour.
Place in a preheated oven at 180c (gas mark 4) for 30-40 minutes.
Tap to make sure it is cooked and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Verdict: A light tasty novelty loaf which went perfectly with our gazpacho.
Drink: A chilled white.
Entertainment: A gentle and enjoyable viewing of ‘Springwatch’. Simon’s seen wild cats and ospreys you know.
