When the MasterCraft Farmhouse Loaf Pan arrived, I was surprised at how large the tin was. I put my thinking cap on, looking for a recipe that would make a very large loaf. When I was in England recently I picked up a Tesco magazine and inside was this recipe for a green veggie loaf. I knew the MasterCraft Box Sided Loaf Pan would be the perfect tin in which to make the loaf so I adapted the recipe slightly and away I went.
The 24cm x 16cm x 12cm tin is made from heavy-duty carbon steel with a non-stick coating. The tin comes with a 20 year MasterCraft guarantee on workmanship and 5-year warranty on non-stick coating. Despite the cheesy topping on the bread, the baked loaf released easily from the tin with little or no residue left. Although I washed the tin by hand, it is dishwasher safe as well as fridge and freeze safe. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this as a bread tin.
For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon and 60g eggs. My oven is not fan forced so if your oven is, you may need to reduce the temperature by 20°C. While probably at its best the day it’s made, the bread is still delicious served the next day. The bread can be served as it or with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Here’s the recipe for you, which makes a large loaf, however, it’s so tasty you won’t have any problems with leftovers.
Ingredients
- 450g white plain or bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 50g wholemeal plain flour
- 7g dried yeast (1 sachet)
- 1 tsp salt
- 300mls lukewarm water
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 125g asparagus, roughly chopped
- 1 small zucchini (about 125g), trimmed and coarsely grated
- 100g pitted queen green olives, drained, dried and halved lengthways
- 35g cheddar cheese, finely grated
- Topping
- 1 egg, beaten
- 25g cheddar cheese, finely grated
Method
Mix the flours, the yeast and 1 tsp salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Make a well in the centre. Pour 300ml lukewarm water and 2 tbsp oil into the well and stir to combine.
If making by hand, once you’ve mixed the dough, tip it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins or until you have a smooth dough. Add a little more flour if needed. It will hold together in a smooth ball when ready. If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook to combine the mixture until a smooth dough forms, then knead for 5 minutes. Put the prepared dough into an oiled bowl and cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Filling
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the roughly chopped asparagus and stir-fry for 2 mins. Add the coarsely grated zucchini to the pan and stir-fry for 2-3 mins until both are tender and any liquid released has evaporated. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool completely, then stir through the green olives, and the finely grated cheddar cheese.
Assemble the bread
Knock back the dough by pressing down firmly into the centre of the dough with your fist. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 40 x 30cm rectangle. Spread the vegetable mix over the dough, leaving a 2cm border. Make sure the filling is evenly distributed so the dough can be rolled as tightly as possible.
Fold the border over the filling, pressing gently to seal them in place. The border means the filling can be completely enclosed or it may fall out and scorch when baked. Roll up from a short edge as tightly as you can to give the loaf a nice even shape and lovely layers inside once baked.
Enclose each end by gently stretching over the dough from the top, then pinch the seams together on the underside. Place the loaf, seam-side down into a lightly greased large loaf tin. Cover loosely with a large plastic bag and leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 220°C, or 200°C (fan). Remove the bread from the plastic bag. Gently brush the loaf with the beaten egg and top with the extra 25g grated cheese. Bake for 45 mins until golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath (loosely cover with foil after 25 mins if the loaf is browning too quickly).
If the bottom of the loaf is still damp, return to the oven and place the loaf directly on the oven rack for another 5 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf has dried out. Transfer immediately to a wire rack and leave to cool – it’s crucial that you cool the loaf on a wire rack because, with so much filling, the crust will become damp and soggy in minutes if the bread is left in the tin. Wait 30 mins before slicing if you want to eat it warm, or leave to cool completely.
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