Loaded Bacon Cheddar Bread

Absolutely delicious. Thank you A Beautiful Bite

6 cups all purpose flour
3¼ cups warm water
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2¾ cup cheddar cheese, fresh grated not bagged
10 strips cooked thick cut bacon, chopped and divided
fresh ground black pepper to taste

• In a large mixing bowl combine water, yeast, salt and sugar.
• Allow mixture to sit for several minutes.
• Add flour, two cups of cheese, ½ bacon and fresh ground black pepper. 
• Stir with spoon until combined. 
• Dough will be shaggy. Don’t stress if it looks messy. It will come together in the end.
• Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for an hour.
• After an hour, turn dough out onto a floured board and knead for a few minutes. 
• It does not need to be completely smooth, just knead it long enough to come together 
• Place dough into a loaf pan.
• Cover loaf with remaining cheese and bacon. 
• Cover with towel and allow to rest for thirty minutes.
• Bake in a 400º oven for fifteen minutes. 
• Cover loosely with foil and reduce heat to 350º and continue baking for another 25 minutes. 
• Remove foil and allow to bake for another 5 minutes.

Stollen Wreath

A lovely change to the traditional festive cake. All the smells, look and taste of Christmas. Thank you Good Food magazine,

85g raisins
50g dried cranberries, plus extra to decorate
100g carton mixed peel
4 tbsp dark rum
550g strong white bread flour
2 x 7g sachets easy-bake yeast
50g golden caster sugar
pinch nutmeg
zest 1 lemon
85g butter, cut into pieces
250ml milk
1 egg, beaten, plus extra beaten egg to glaze
50g pistachios, peeled and chopped, plus extra, sliced, to decorate
300g marzipan (bought or homemade)
100g fondant icing sugar
holly sprig, to decorate

• Mix the raisins, cranberries and mixed peel in a bowl 
• Pour over the rum, then leave to soak while you make the dough. 
• Tip the flour into a large bowl and stir in ½ tsp salt, the yeast, sugar, nutmeg and lemon zest. 
• Rub the butter in until the mix is like fine crumbs. 
• Warm the milk to hand-hot, then mix into the egg. 
• Pour the milk into the flour mix 
• Stir with a round-bladed knife to make a soft dough, adding a drop more milk if needed to mop up any dry crumbs in the bottom of the bowl. 
• Gather the dough into a ball, then knead for 3-4 mins on a lightly floured surface. 
• Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl 
• Cover with cling film and leave until the dough has risen to double the size (about 45 mins-1 hr). 
• Knead the dough 2 or 3 times, then roll out to a rectangle about 37cm x 17cm. 
• Stir the chopped pistachios into the soaked fruits 
• Spread one-third of the fruit mix down the centre of the dough, leaving all the edges uncovered. 
• Fold each side into the centre to overlap slightly. 
• Press the edges with the rolling pin to seal. 
• Turn the dough, then repeat the rolling out and spreading of the fruit twice more. 
• Roll out to a final rectangle that is 55cm x 16cm. 
• Roll the marzipan into a sausage shape, so it’s slightly shorter than the length of the dough. 
• Place it down the centre. 
• Roll the dough over the marzipan, then turn the dough over so the join is underneath. 
• Lift onto a buttered baking sheet, then curl the dough round a buttered 12cm round cake tin 
• Brush the ends with a little beaten egg and pinching them well together to seal.
• Cover and leave to rise for 30-45 mins or until puffy and doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/ gas 5. 
• When the dough has doubled, brush with beaten egg and bake for about 25 mins until golden. 
• Cool on the baking sheet briefly, then transfer to a wire rack.  
• Make up the icing. Stir 2-3 tsp water into the fondant icing sugar and 
• When the stollen has cooled, drizzle the icing over. 
• Scatter over the extra cranberries and pistachios and decorate with holly.

 hint :  If you don't have a 12cm round cake tin for making the central hole in the stollen, 

          use an 800g empty clean food can (the hole will be slightly smaller).