Recently I’ve been making flavoured breads that look as if I’ve spent the whole morning slaving over them. This loaf can be assembled in under ten minutes, using bags of dough from the supermarket, and I promise your guests will clap their hands in delight when you bring them hot and fragrant to the table, or pop them in your picnic basket.
Industrial dough doesn’t have much to recommend it by way of flavour or texture – it’s a multi-purpose dough used for all manner of baked goods – but a few interesting fillings or toppings go a long way towards making up for any cotton-wool texture. The first bread is stuffed with a zingy filling of tinned artichokes, creamy feta, lemon zest and parsley, and the second topped with fennel, garlic, olive oil and vine tomatoes (watch out for the recipe to come). (And here’s third idea: my Puffy ‘Focaccia’ with Baby Sausages, Herbs, Feta, Garlic and Olive Oil.)
Most supermarkets in South Africa that have in-house bakeries (Spar and 7/11 spring to mind) will sell you ready-to-bake dough, for a pittance, but you do need to ask at the counter for it. You can also buy dough from any commercial bakery.
Supermarket dough rises to an impressive height. Because it’s got so much va-va-voom, it’s not suitable for making pizzas (unless you like a very thick, doughy crust). But it is ideal for all sorts of flat (or flattish) flavoured breads, and is very forgiving. In other words, you can punch and stretch it fairly energetically without worrying about it collapsing into a sad old biscuit. Do take the time to press it out quite thinly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. There is no need to wait for these breads to rise after flavouring them; the dough will be very puffy already when you take it out of its bag. Supermarket dough keeps in the fridge for up to three days.
Keen on picnic breads? See my recipe for tomato and fennel bread here.
Artichoke and feta bread
Makes 1 loaf of bread, or enough for 6 people
What you’ll need
600 g fresh white-bread dough
three-quarters of a tin of artichokes, drained
2 wheels (about 160 g) feta, crumbled
5 T (75 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
the finely grated zest of a small lemon
flaky sea salt
milled black pepper
How to make it
Heat the oven to 180º C. Place a piece of greaseproof paper on a baking sheet and press the dough out to a rectangle about a centimetre thick, as shown in the picture above.
Coarsely chop the artichokes, put them in a bowl and add the feta, olive oil, parsley and lemon zest. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Spread the mixture to within three centimetres of the edges of the dough then roll it up, as if you were making a Swiss roll. Stretch the dough slightly as you roll, tucking it firmly to enclose the filling. Turn the bread so the seam is underneath. Use a sharp knife to make diagonal slashes in the top of the loaf. Mix 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of water with a teaspoon of salt, and lightly brush this mixture all over the bread.
Bake at 180º C for 40-50 minutes, or until done. Brush the bread with more salt water half-way through the cooking time. If you’re not sure the bread is cooked, turn it over and rap your knuckles on its underside. If you produce a dry, hollow sound, the bread is ready. Slide onto a bread board and serve hot with some olive oil for dipping.
This recipe was originally published on Scrumptious SA.
My new cookbook, Scrumptious: Food for Family and Friends (Struik Lifestyle) is available all leading bookstores in South Africa.
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