Potato chive bread.

Now this is the sort of bread that you can make and serve as a really nice alterative to any normal bread. Despite it sounding really heavy you will be surprised for if you make it right it is really good to eat, with quite a sold structure but not a heavy texture.

You will need.

450g/1lb cooked mashed potatoes
30g/1oz fresh yeast
425ml/¾ pint lukewarm water
657g/1½lb strong plain flour
2tsp slat
A good bunch of chopped fresh chives

Bow if you really want a great way to get the potato flavour in to the bread do not boil you potatoes, bake them. The them cool strip of the skins add a little cream and butter and season with a pinch of nutmeg , ground black pepper and ground white pepper.

Once the potato is lukewarm, then take the yeast and dissolve it in some of the water and then mix the yeast in to the potato. Then sift the flour in to a large bowl, make a well in the centre of the flour then add the yeast and potato mix, salt and chopped chives. Fold the flour in to the mix and add the rest of the water and form the dough.

Then turn the dough out on to a floured surface and start to knead the bred for about 15 minutes until you get a nice shiny dough. This bread needs some more work than normal dough so it does take a little longer to make in the first stages.  Then cover and let it rest for about an hour so it has risen in size.  Then knock the bread back and then gently knead and shape the dough into the shape you want. Stud this bread with herbs, garlic and olives and then once more cover and let it double about one and a half times its size again.

Now cooking this in the oven you want to preheat your oven to 230c/450f for a good ten minutes before putting the bread in then turn the heat down to 190c/ 375f for about 45 minutes until cooked. It will sound hollow underneath when you tap it.

Then take out of the oven and cool on the side.