MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - CHEESE AND LEEK AND HERB BREAD

Every now and again I browse through Instagram for recipes. I was looking for something light. This doesn't exactly fit that category. However, it did fit perfectly with the cheesy vegetable corn chowder we made to go with it, an old favorite you can find here. It was a perfect pairing. If you would like to look at this lady’s video, it's a short one and you can find it here. I tried my best with equivalent measurements as the original came in grams. I have added the ounces and cups at the bottom of the recipe. However, scales these days have both measurements and it makes life easy when trying recipes from overseas, as I found out today. 

Cheese and Leek 'Herb Bread'

Feeds 4 to 6

500g self-raising flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

2 leeks, finely chopped

110g butter 

175g grated cheddar cheese 

200ml water 

A little milk for brushing over the top

Salt and pepper, measurements aren't given

Heat the oven to 200C (or 400 deg. F). 

Place the finely chopped leek in a pan with a drizzle of oil. Fry for five minutes until soft.

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the baking powder, dried parsley (you can use oregano or mixed herbs if you prefer) and salt and pepper.

Add the butter and quickly mix in. I cut it into small pieces first.

Mix in the grated cheddar and leeks until thoroughly blended.

Add the water. Use your hands to mix it together until you have a smooth-ish dough.  Place the dough on a large greased or lined baking tray (I used parchment paper on my tray). Press dough down until you have a thick circle roughly 20cm across (that works out to almost 8 inches). Brush the top of the loaf with a little milk. 

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until cooked through. If the top is cooking too quickly, just cover it with foil for the last few minutes of baking.

Leave to cool before cutting into wedges but when it is still a little warm. 

Serve and enjoy!

U.S. Measurements:

4 cups of self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

2 leeks, finely chopped

1 stick butter

7/8 of a cup of grated cheddar cheese or 6 ozs

5/6 cup or 6-3/4 fl. ozs. water

A little milk for brushing over the top.

Salt and Pepper (no measurement given for these - I barely used a sprinkle)

I was very pleased with how this turned out and we both gave it a ten out of ten.  The video host Amy said it looks like a really big scone when done. This is what I thought. I have cooked scones in a round like this, but cut into sections before baking, spreading about two inches away from each other. 

Those scones I mentioned I put sliced green onions in them, and bits of ham along with the cheese. They look almost identical to these. You can take a look at that recipe here.

You can use other favorite herbs if you prefer.

I have cut the rest into small slices and put them in a freezer proof container for several other meals. If they are anything like the scones, they will be great when thawed out and reheated.

This would also be a great breakfast on the go.

Added note: Almost forgot, these leeks have a lot of grit/dirt between the leaves. I rinsed through them as best I could. When they were chopped, I gave them three or four rinses, changing the water each time. Then I blotted them well and let them dry out before sautéing in the frying pan. 

Thanks for looking and 

I hope your day is a great one.