Parmesan and sun-dried tomato loaf

Phew, how long does bread take? I think I was a little naive about the amount of waiting around that's involved. But by lord, it's definitely worth the wait. 

Absolutely delicious still warm with a good knob of butter. Enjoy baking this one guys. 

This is a recipe I have created myself using a basic loaf recipe as my guide. 

Ingredients

500g strong white flour 

300ml warm water 

50g grated Parmesan

50g sun-dried tomatoes 

2 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomatoes

2 tsp sugar 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried yeast 

1- Firstly and most importantly we need to activate our dried yeast. To do this, add the yeast and sugar to the water. Give a little stir and set aside for about 10 minutes. 

2- I prefer sun-dried tomatoes in oil for this recipe as I find they are easier to work with and you have the advantage of the beautiful oil they come in to add into your mixture.  Drain them, set aside the oil, and chop finely.   

3- In a large bowl, combine  the flour, cheese and salt and mix well. Then add the yeast water, oil and tomatoes and mix well until combined and starting to form a soft dough.  

4- Knead well on a lightly floured surface for about 10-15 minutes until well worked, smooth, elastic and supple. 

5- Place in a slightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and place in a warm place for about 30 minutes for the first proving. 

6- When the dough has doubled in size, remove from it's bowl and turn out onto a floured surface and work for a further 5 minutes. 

7- Roll out a little and fold ends inwards to form a neat loaf shape, ensuring the 'fold marks' are on the bottom. 

8- Place in your oiled loaf tin. Cover and leave to prove again in a warm place for about an hour, or until again doubled in size. 

9- Set your oven to 180C/Gas 4. Score 5/6 lines in the top of your completely proved loaf and sprinkle with a little flour. 

10- Bake in the middle of your oven for 30-35 minutes. 

11- Turn out to a wire rack for cooling and enjoy warm or at room temperature with butter. 

For my first attempt at bread, I am pretty damn proud with how this has gone. 

My loaf could of done with 5 more minutes in the oven, so I have adjusted the timings on here accordingly.  

A wonderful bread to have as a snack or would taste great with cold meat and mustard.  

:)